Yuru Yuri Plus 1
by TheBlackKid
Summary: A new transfer student enrolls into Nanamori Middle School. She starts getting a custom to everyday life with both groups. And learns a secret from the past. Only one POV throughout the story. Takes place mostly during season 2.
1. Introduction & First Day

Yuru Yuri +1

By TheBlackKid

 **Chapter 1 – Introduction & First Day**

Hello. My name is Sachiko Ichiko. I'm 14-years-old and easily recognized by my long orange hair and light-blue eyes. It's nice to meet you, and thank you for reading about me. I really appreciate it.

Right now, I'm in the middle of packing my belongings for a big move I'm doing. Due to my parents traveling overseas for business, I'm moving to the city from my small hometown in the county.

I'm honestly a little nervous. I've never been to the city before. I've heard stuff like it's dangerous and full of weirdos. And not only that, but I'm also a little sad. Mainly because I'm leaving my friends that I grew up with to live alone in the city. I was originally against it the idea, but my parents and even my friends said that it would be better for me. Some were even jealous of me. So because of that, I ended up going alone with it.

It's a big life change, but I think I can manage. My parents bought an apartment for me over there. So I already have a place to live. And they're going to be sending me money every month. So I won't have to worry about getting a job.

And I told my friends that I'll come by and visit sometime. And even suggested that they come and see me in the city. Once I get used to it, of course.

Now that I think more about the positives, I'm actually quite excited. _***giggle***_

I should really get back to packing now. It was nice talking to you. And I hope we can have lots of fun together. Bye now.

* * *

"Here you go. Everything's been moved up." One of the movers said to me as he placed the last box from the moving truck into my new apartment.

"Thank you so much. I really appreciate the help."

"Pleasure's all mine. Enjoy your new place."

"Will do."

The mover guy closed the door behind him and I watched from the window as the truck drove off. I turned around and looked at the box-filled apartment I'm now calling home. It's like a mix of "it's bigger than I thought" and "it's so cramped in here". I've never lived or seen an apartment before. So all of this could be a bit biased.

"So there's a kitchen, a bathroom, a closet, a patio, and…wait, what does the bedroom look like?"

I went towards the bedroom in the back and opened the door to see the empty space that already had my bed and desk inside. But other than that, it was completely empty.

"Whoa. It's…it's big. And even with my bed and desk in here, it still feels big. And there's even another closet in here! So cool!"

 ***RING* *RING* *RING***

"Ah! My phone! I left it in the kitchen!"

I scrambled to the kitchen to grab my phone before I missed the phone call. I managed to get there without breaking the stuff in the boxes or doing injury to myself and answered the phone with no hesitation.

" _H-Hello?!_ "

" _Uh, sweetie? Why do you sound out of breath?_ "

"Oh. Hi, Mom. It's nothing. I just…left my phone in a different room…again."

" _Sachiko…_ "

"S-Sorry. It's just I got excited about being here and all and I went on a self-tour of the place. It was amazing."

" _Ha-ha. That's our daughter. Always getting excited over the littlest things._ " I heard a new voice.

"D-Dad! Come on!" I whined.

" _Sorry, sorry._ "

Like I said before, my parents are traveling overseas for business. So since I'm an only child, I couldn't be left alone at my house back home. Luckily, although unknown to me, my dad knows someone from when he was in high school who moved here when they graduated. She's a busy woman, from what I heard. But she'll help me out from time to time. So I got a bit of extra help while living here. Which is good.

" _So, are you ready for the first day of your new school, sweetie?_ " Mom asked me.

"Yeah, I guess. I still miss my old one, but maybe this one will be good too."

" _Well, it's good that you have a positive mindset on it._ " Dad said.

"By the way…what was the name of this school again? I'm drawing a blank."

" _You already forgot?_ "

"It's been a busy day, okay? Something was going to leave my mind."

" _I get it. Well, the name is Nanamori Middle School._ "

"Nana-what now? What kinda name is that?"

" _Sweetie, don't judge. It's how schools are named in the city._ " Mom said.

" _ ***sigh***_ I guess."

" _Well, should be getting late over there. We'll talk to you tomorrow._ "

"Okay. Love you guys. And I miss you both."

" _We feel the same way, Sachiko._ " Dad said. " _Goodnight._ "

"Goodnight."

I hung up the phone and took a quick sigh as I looked around my new home one last time. This was it. My new life in the big city has started. And starting tomorrow, I'll be going to school in this big city. I was excited, but also a bit nervous. I hope I can make at least one friend there.

" _ ***sigh***_ Well, I better get ready for bed. These boxes though…I'll have to find the time to unpack if not tomorrow after school, then during the weekend. It's going to be a lot."

I grabbed a change of clothes from my suitcase and headed into the bathroom to take a shower. Afterward, I laid in my bed thinking of what was to come starting tomorrow. Thinking of the possibilities only made me more excited/nervous. But I think I can manage it. Somehow.

" _It all starts_ _ ***yawn***_ _tomorrow._ " I whispered in a tired voice before finally going to sleep for the night.

* * *

I had to wake up at 6:30 in the morning to get ready for school. Which is about an hour earlier than me waking up back home. I heard that morning commutes in the city were kinda hectic. And so, I didn't want to take any chances.

I was now standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom looking over myself before heading out. My hair, face, and skin were all intact. But it was the uniform that I had concerns with.

The uniform consisted of a white vest(?) with the upper part and even the sleeves were a brown-ish color. And underneath was a long maroon skirt (or dress. I have no idea) with long sleeves on each side. It was such an odd design. I wasn't really sure if I would be able to get used to wearing this, but I knew I didn't have a choice.

I was about to leave my apartment for the first time when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I took it out and saw that it was a message from Mom.

" _Hey, sweetie. Sorry, we can't call you now. It's actually nighttime where we are and we're really tired. But we just want to say have a good first day. And try to make some friends. Love you. Mom._ "

 _It's nighttime? Where are they that it's nighttime right now?_

I pushed the thought to the back of my head and typed up a response to the text.

"Okay. Love you, too. Tell Dad I said hi."

I then placed my phone back in my pocket and took a quick sigh to myself.

"I'm off." I said to…literally no one. I'm so used to living with my parents that it's a common thing for me to do. I then opened the door and locked it behind me. As I started walking to my new school.

* * *

The walk itself wasn't that bad. In fact, it was actually really peaceful. It gave me time to think to myself. as I was still a bit nervous about all this sudden change.

About and hour later, I had arrived at the oddly-named school known as Nanamori. Walking inside, it looked like a normal school. Well, almost. Throughout my self-tour, I didn't see a single boy here. Neither Mom or Dad said that this was an all-girls school. Maybe they didn't know either?

"Hey! You there!" I heard a voice.

"Huh?" I turned around to see a woman in a lab coat heading towards me. She had short grey hair and was really pretty, too. Not sure what she wants with me, though.

"You're Sachiko Ichiko, right?" The woman asked me.

"Uh…yeah. Do I know you?"

"Well, no. But your father does."

"My father…wait. Are you Dad's old friend?"

" _Hey._ Who are you calling "old"?" The woman got insulted.

"W-Well, I didn't mean it like that…"

"Ha. I'm only kidding. I knew what you meant by that."

"O-Oh. Thank goodness." I said as my nerves relaxed a bit.

"Anyway, yes I am your dad's friend. Nana Nishigaki. I'm the science teacher here."

"The science teacher? Wow, what luck."

"That help is closer than you thought it was?"

"No, because I'm terrible at science."

"I see. Well, that's no problem. My classes will surely make you **explode** with improvement."

" _E-Explode?_ " I sounded nervous again.

"Well, that's a figure of speech."

 _Why do I feel like it isn't?_

"Anyway, I came looking for you because you have a few things to sign for. After that, I'll take you to your classroom."

"Okay, then."

I followed Nana to the teacher's lounge and there I sighed a few papers that apparently my parents couldn't do themselves. After that, we headed for my new classroom filled with my new classmates. I was still a bit nervous, but something else was in my mind that took up more space.

"Hey, uh…Nishigaki."

"Oh, please. Call me Nana." She said.

 _Wow. That close already?_

"Okay, Nana. How did you and Dad meet?"

"Ah, yes. That. Well, I'm actually a year older than him."

"Really?"

"Yep. He and I went to the high school back in your hometown. We met when I, uh…"accidently" blew up the Science Clubroom."

"Why did you put the word accidently in air quotes?" I asked, sounding concerned.

"Well, it was kinda sorta an accident." Nana said while rubbing the back of her head.

I didn't know how to respond to that.

"Anyway…until that room was fixed, I used the Physics Clubroom. Where your father was a member. And we became friends not long after."

"I see. That's some story. Especially the "blew up the clubroom" part."

"Hahaha. I'm pretty proud of my explosions. There like a work of art, you know?"

"I…kinda see the resemblance."

" _ ***sigh***_ At least you understand. The others don't seem to get it. But that's to be expected from Jiro's daughter." I noticed that Nana was feeling a little sad after saying that. which made me ask one last question.

"Hey, Nana. When was the last time you saw my dad?"

"Oh, that? Last time was when I went to his graduation ceremony. Which was about…20 years ago."

"T-Twenty years?! Why didn't you guys visit every once in a while?"

" _It's not…that easy._ " She sounded really sad after that response.

"Huh?"

"Well, enough about me. Here's your class. I'll come by during lunch to check up on you. See you later."

"Uh…okay. Thanks again, Nana."

I watched as Nana walked away from me and started thinking once again. She really felt sad all of a sudden when she said that she hasn't seen Dad in 20 years. They are still friends, aren't they? Why would they not reconnect with each other? Especially for that long?

 _It's kinda weird. But I also feel sorry for her. I wouldn't want to not have any contact my friends for even a year. Let alone 20 of them._

I then faced the door to the classroom in front of me and did a huge sigh to release the nerves out of me one last time.

 _Alright. Here I go. No turning back now. I can do this._

I opened the door and walked inside to have the first thing I see were a bunch of eyes staring at me. It was quite uncomfortable. But then again, most people tend to look at the door when someone enters a room. It's just a common reaction.

"Oh, there you are. I was wondering when you would show up." The teacher said to me. Then she faced the other girls in the class. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet a new transfer student starting today. Please introduce yourself."

"U-Uh…okay." I said before walking up to the front center of the class. " ***ahem*** H-Hello. My name is Sachiko Ichiko. I moved here from a small town in the county due to my parents being overseas. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Ichiko-san." The entire class said. It bought a small smile on my face. Mainly because I got some kind of response from everyone. Which was one of my main concerns.

"You can sit in that empty desk by the window, Ichiko-san." The teacher said to me.

"Thank you." I said as I headed for the empty desk.

After I sat down and class resumed as normal, I had more thoughts running in my mind. Not just how the rest of the day would turn out, but that talk with Nana. It still interests me to no end. Maybe there's a secret the two of them are hiding? Who knows really.

 _At least now, I can get one of my worries out of my mind. Let's see how this first day plays out, shall we?_


	2. The What Club?

**Chapter 2 – The What Club?**

Class went on like normal. Although, there are stuff I'm not getting because I transferred in the middle of the year. I'll have to review some of it later.

Right now, lunchtime had just started. And I was about to go meet up with Nana when my phone vibrated in my pocket. I took it out and saw a message I didn't expect to see.

" _Hey, Sachiko. It's me, Nana. Just checking up on ya. Classes going well?_ "

I found this a bit odd. As I didn't give Nana my number. At least, I think I didn't.

" _Uh…Nana. How did you get my number?_ "

 _ ***BZZZT***_

" _Your dad sent me it._ "

" _My dad? You mean you talked to him?!_ "

 _ ***BZZZT***_

" _Well, duh. Just because we haven't seen each other in 20 years doesn't mean we don't talk once in a while._ "

 _ ***BZZZT***_

" _Why is that a shock to you, anyway?_ "

 _I wonder. If I ask, will she explain it to me?_

" _Well…it's kinda because of that talk we had earlier…_ "

 _ ***BZZZT***_

" _Oh yeah. That._ "

 _ ***BZZZT***_

" _It's nothing for you to be concerned about. You enjoy your day._ "

 _Dang. No luck._

" _Okay._ " I placed my phone back in my pocket and started thinking yet again.

" _ ***sigh***_ Nana…what are you hiding?" I asked myself.

"Hello there."

After hearing a voice, I turned to my right to see two girls standing over my desk. One had red hair with weird-looking buns on each side, while the other had pink hair with pigtails on each side. I didn't how long they were there, but I was hoping they didn't hear me just now.

"H-Hello." I said. Still having a tiny bit of my nervousness with me.

"Can we eat lunch with you?" The pink-haired girl asked.

 _E-Eat lunch? W-With me? Already?! I thought I had to wait 3 days for something like this to happen! So awesome!_

"Um…yeah, sure. I don't mind."

"Great!" The girls smiled as they brought two nearby chairs to my desk. As they brought out their lunches, I compared them to mine. It wasn't much, considering that I had to buy a few things from the convenience store. But at least I get to eat something.

"So are you really from the country, Sachiko?" The red-haired girl asked.

"Yeah, I am."

"I've heard that it's really peaceful out there. Is it really?" The pink-haired girl asked.

"Yes, it really is. There are days where my friends and I would either walk around town or sit nearby the lake and just enjoy the quietness. It really relaxes you of whatever stress you have."

"Woah. That does sound relaxing. You really had it lucky."

"Thank you, uh…" That's when I realized that I didn't even know their names yet.

"Oh, right. We didn't introduce ourselves. I'm Chinastu Yoshikawa."

"I'm Akari Akaza."

"I see. Nice to meet you both, Akari and Chinastu." I said with a smile.

 ***INSERT CLASSIC JAPANESE SCHOOL BELL CHIME HERE***

"Aw. Lunch is over already." Akari whined.

"I know. It went by so fast." Chinastu added. "It was nice eating lunch with you, Sachiko. I hope we can do it again more."

"Yeah. Same here, Chinastu."

As the two girls went back to their seats, I couldn't get rid of the smile on my face. It actually made me happy that I had a conversation with other people on my first day.

And it went better than I thought, too!

* * *

After school came by and I was texting Nana again that I was about to go home. But then she sent something that I never really considered.

" _Huh? Join a club?_ "

 _ ***BZZZT***_

" _Sure, why not? Most of the students here are in a club. It'll be a great way to make friends._ "

" _Yeah, I guess that's true. But I've never been in a club before._ "

 _ ***BZZZT***_

" _You didn't have clubs back at your old school?_ "

" _No, we didn't. And shouldn't you know that? You're from there too, right?_ "

 _ ***BZZZT***_

" _Hey, it's been 2 decades okay? I wouldn't remember something like that so easily._ "

" _Point proven._ "

" _But I have to unpack my stuff._ "

 _ ***BZZZT***_

" _I'll help you do that this weekend. I'll even bring a friend. Just go out and enjoy yourself._ "

" _Um…okay then. If you really think it's a good idea, I'll find a club to join._ "

 _ ***BZZZT***_

" _There you go. Good luck._ "

" _Thanks._ "

I placed my phone in my bag and let out a small and quick sigh.

"Now how am I going to find a club that I would want to join?" I asked myself.

"Hey, Sachiko." I then saw Akari and Chinastu walking up towards me.

"Oh. Hello, Akari. Hello, Chinastu."

"What are you planning to do now?" Akari asked.

"Well…I just received a suggestion from a family friend that I should join a club. But I really don't know how to do that. Or what club to even join, for that matter.

"You're looking for a club to join?! Then we got the perfect club!" Chinastu cheered with glee.

"Really? What club is that?"

"You should join the Amusement Club!"

…

…

"Th-The what club?" I sounded confused.

"The name may sound a little weird, but it's a fun club." Akari said.

"And, uh…who exactly is in this club?"

"Me, Chinastu, and two third-years."

"Th-Third-years? I-I don't know…"

"It's alright. They're nice." Chinastu said. "Well, one of them is a bit _**too**_ nice."

"That doesn't really help, Chinastu." I said with a sweatdrop.

"Come on, Sachiko. Just give it a chance. You may like it after all."

"Well…" I gave this much thought. It's a chance to join a club after minutes of getting the idea. But then again, that name. It could mean anything. Even the complete opposite.

But I guess it's worth a try. Right?

"Okay. I'll give this Amusement Club a chance." I said.

"Yay!" Both girls cheered.

"Trust us, Sachiko! You'll love it!" Chinastu said.

"Yeah! And you'll have so much fun, too!" Akari said.

 _I hope I don't get second thoughts about this…_

* * *

Akari and Chinastu took me to this one hut-like building that was really far off from the school itself. I wanted to ask why it was like this, but I didn't want to add more worries about this club into my head. So I just left it alone for now.

When we got inside, I could hear two voices coming from another set of doors to my left. No doubt it was the third-years that I heard about. I didn't know any upperclassmen back home, so actually meeting two of them was a bit nerve-racking for me.

Chinastu opened the door and we all went inside the bigger room of this hut thing.

"Hey, guys." She called out.

Inside were two more girls. One had long blonde hair topped off with a red ribbon of sorts. And the other had short black hair. They certainly do look older. Hopefully, they're nice people.

" **Yay! My little China-chan is here!** " The blonde shouted.

 _China-chan?_

I then looked over to see Chinastu twitch in fear. Which didn't look good to me.

"Hey! Knock it off!" The black-haired girl yelled as she punched the blonde on the head.

"We brought a potential new club member, too." Akari said.

"A new club member?"

Akari and Chinastu then stepped beside me at each side and I became visible to the two third-years.

 _ ***gulp***_ _Here I go._

"H-Hello. My name is Sachiko Ichiko. I just transferred here." I introduced myself.

"A transfer student?" The black-haired girl asked. "That's unexpected."

"It was pretty sudden for us, too." Akari said.

"So she's in your class?"

"Yep. We ate lunch with her today, too." Chinastu added.

"I see. Well, nice to meet you, Sachiko. I'm Yui Funami." The girl introduced herself. "And this girl right here is…"

" **Call me Super Sexy Commando Kyouko!** " The blonde shot up from the floor.

"Uh…what?" I was confused (and a little creeped out).

"Her **real** name is Kyouko Toshinio. She's the club president." Yui said.

"The club president…wow."

"Yeah, she can be a real something sometimes."

" _A real something_? What's that supposed to mean?" Kyouko asked.

"You know exactly what it means. Anyway…we hope you enjoy our club, Sachiko."

"Thanks, Yui." I said. "But, uh…one question. What exactly do you guys do here?"

"Well…" Yui started rubbing her head.

"It actually varies on…whatever." Chinastu answered.

"Whatever?"

"To be honest, this club isn't even official." Akari said.

"Huh? Unofficial? I'm not knowledgeable about this, but isn't there a way to make it official?"

"That's actually a job for the president to do." Yui said. " _But…_ "

The three girls then looked at Kyouko, who grew an uncomfortable look on her face.

"Wh-What? I-I forget, okay? It happens." She said.

"You don't forget to come to my apartment and eat all my food." Yui said.

"Or cuddle me to death while screaming in my ear." Chinastu said.

"Or act like I don't exist when I'm clearly right in front of you." Akari said.

"Akari? When did you get here?"

" **Seriously?!** "

 _Woah. This girl. She doesn't seem to be real…well a lot of things, really._

"This club is…interesting. To say the least." I said.

"I-It gets better, Sachiko. I promise." Chinastu said.

"We can just talk and get to know each other better, if that makes you more comfortable." Yui suggested.

I should really get home and at least unpack a box or two. But if Nana says I should do this, then I could stay a little longer. Plus, these girls do seem rather nice.

"Well…okay. I could chat a little."

"Great! I'll go make some tea!" Chinastu said as she walked off to the room next door.

"Tea?"

"This used to be the Tea Ceremony Clubroom. But they disbanded some time ago." Akari explained.

"I see."

* * *

Once Chinastu came back with the tea, I got to know a little more about the four members of the Amusement Club. From what I heard, Akari and Chinastu both have an older sister in college who are also friends with each other, Yui lives in an apartment by herself, much like me, and Kyouko…

"Wait, what's a… _doujinshi_?" I asked.

"Huh?! You mean you've never read one?!" Kyouko sounded shocked.

"Not really. Is it a type of book? Cause we don't get much of those where I'm from."

" _ **Type of book?!**_ I am **offended** , Sachiko! How could you not know such wonderful art?!"

"D-Did I really offend? I-I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Yui said. "Kyouko's just spouting nonsense again. And a doujinshi is basically a self-published work, mainly magazines, manga or novels, that are mostly made by amateurs."

" _Oh._ I get it now."

"Kyouko writes a bunch of them. All based on Mirakurun." Chinastu added.

…

"Who's Mirakurun?" I asked.

" **GAH!** " Kyouko held onto her chest like she was in pain all of a sudden.

"Calm down." Yui said to her. "Not everyone knows who she is."

" _Y-Yeah, but still. Just_ _ **HEARING**_ _that…_ "

"D-Did I offend again?"

"No, not really. I guess you don't get much anime in your hometown, do you?" Akari asked.

"No, not much. In fact, we mostly had local channels."

"Local channels? Wait, where are you from?" Kyouko asked.

"Hakone."

" **H-Hakone?!** " All four girls shouted in shock.

"Th-The same Hakone that's near Mt. Fuji?" Akari asked.

"Yep."

"The same city where Lake Ashinoko is?" Yui asked.

"Yep."

"The city known for its onsen hot spring resorts?" Chinastu asked.

"Yep."

"The city know for its always misty shrine?" Kyouko asked.

"Yep."

" _Whoa._ " They all said.

"Yep. It's a really quiet and peaceful small town. Which is why it was tough for me to move here on my own."

" _Lucky! You got to live in Hakone!_ " Chinastu pouted. I couldn't help but laugh a little at the fact that they were jealous of where I moved from.

"Well, this was fun. But I really should be going now. I want to at least unpack a box tonight at my apartment."

"How many boxes do you have?" Yui asked.

"Um, well…if I have to round it out…a lot."

"And you plan on doing that on your own?"

"Well, no. Na…I mean, Nishigaki is going to come over to help. So there's that."

"Wait, you already know Nishigaki?" Chinastu asked.

"Yeah. She's the family friend I mentioned earlier."

"Huh."

"You would've thought she would've told us." Kyouko said.

 _So that makes two secrets Nana is hiding…_

"Well, anyway…thank you all for the tea and chat. It was nice to meet you guys." I said as I got up and headed for the door.

"W-Wait, Sachiko. Does this mean you'll join our club?" Chinastu asked.

 _Oh, right. I did say I would give it a chance, didn't I?_

"Can I think about it first? The whole concept of "joining a club" is still new to me."

"Okay, then. See you on Monday."

"See ya, Sachiko." Akari waved.

I waved back at the four girls as I walked out the door and started heading for the school gates.

"That club…it wasn't so bad. Although, the name is a bit misleading. And Kyouko's a bit…weird. But I had fun, none the less. Maybe I will join. Even though it's not an official…club…"

I went quiet and started thinking to myself about that last part. And the other negatives I mentioned.

 _Maybe I'll give it a day or two to think it over…_

 **Final Thought: So my first day at Nanamori is over. I made a few friends and became aware of a strange club. I wonder…should I join it? Or look for something else? Nana is supposed to come over to my apartment tomorrow to help unpack. But who's this friend she's bringing? Guess I won't know until then. Thank you for reading along. I hope you come back soon. Bye now.**


	3. Unboxing Silence

**Chapter 3 – Unboxing Silence**

It was Sunday. The first day off from my new school. I managed to unpack a box last night when I got home. But after that, I grew tired. And went to bed earlier than normal.

It was now the next morning and I was still asleep due to the events of yesterday when…

 ***KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK***

"… _Hm?_ "

 ***KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK***

" _ ***moan***_ _Who can that be? And this early, too._ " I whined as I got out of my bed and headed for the front door.

 ***KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK***

 ***KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK***

" _Okay! I'm coming!_ "

I opened the door real slow and tired like and got face to face with the person knocking on my door this early in the morning.

"Oh, good. You're up."

"Nana? What are you doing here?" I asked my caregiver/science teacher.

"Did you already forget? I said I'll help you unpack today."

"But it's 6:30 in the morning. We can't do this later?"

"Hey. The sooner we get this done, the sooner you can go back to sleep. Makes sense, right?"

 _Well, I'm wide awake now. But she does have a point._

" _ ***sigh***_ I guess." I gave in.

"Good." Nana said. "Oh, by the way…this is the friend I was talking about. First-year high school student Rise Matsumoto."

I then looked at the girl standing next to Nana. Her long black hair and red eyes made her look cute in a way. And oddly enough, despite being a first-year in high school…she's the same height as me.

" _Hello. Nice to meet you, Ichiko-san._ " Rise whispered(?) to me.

"Um…nice to meet you too, Matsumoto-senpai."

The two then looked at each other with looks of total shock on their faces. Then looked back at me.

"Wh-What?" I asked.

"You can hear what Rise is saying?" Nana asked.

"Am I not supposed to?"

"W-Well…no. W-Well, I mean yes…uh…n-never mind. Let's get unpacking, shall we?"

"Uh…okay. Just let me change out of my pajamas real quick."

"Go on."

As I let the two in and went back to my room to change, a thought came to my mind.

 _That was…kinda weird. Why did they react like that when I said that I can hear Matsumoto-senpai? Did I break some kind of rule I don't know about? Should I ask what it is? They did look really surprised. Maybe I should talk to Matsumoto-senpai about it. Because no doubt if I ask Nana, she'll find a way to dodge the question again. Why does she have so many secrets, to begin with? My head hurts just from thinking about it…_

 ***KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK***

"Hey, Sachiko. You done yet?"

"Um…almost done. Just give me 2 more minutes."

"Alright."

 _I better not keep them waiting much longer._

* * *

Soon, the three of us began unpacking my stuff from the boxes that swarmed the new apartment. By myself, it no doubt it would've taken all day. Maybe even two. But with two extra people, we were able to get it done by 10 after 12. So now, while Nana went to go get something for us to eat for breakfast, it was just me and Matsumoto-senpai here lounging around. Being here with here made me remember that introduction from earlier. And how weird they were acting. And with Nana gone, now may be a good (if not only) chance to ask.

"Uh, hey…Matsumoto-senpai. Can I ask you something?" I asked her.

" _It's about what happened this morning, isn't it?_ "

 _Was she expecting this or something?_

"Yeah. It is."

" _Don't worry. You didn't do anything wrong. It's just that…well, the fact that you can hear me is rather shocking._ "

"Really? Why is that?"

Matsumoto-senpai grew a sad look on her face as she lowered her head down in a mix of shame and sadness.

" _Well…I'm really shy when it comes to being around people. It's been a trait of mine since I was little. But unlike most kids, I was never able to shake it off. Every time I at least talk to someone, my nerves go all crazy to the point where…I-I would…st-start crying._ "

"Really?"

" _Yeah. And now, It's gotten so bad to the point where I can only whisper to everyone. Even my own family. And because of that, people often ignore and even forget about me. My extreme shyness has made me feel alone and empty. And it really hurts. More than anyone thinks._ "

Matsumoto-senpai then started to cry a little from thinking about how her shyness has made her social life horrible. And even though I can't relate with her, I do feel bad for her. Having to go through that their entire childhood and even now…it's obvious that it's a painful thing to deal with.

"S-Senpai…" I said as I gave her a couple of tissues to wipe her tears.

" _Th-Thanks._ "

"But…there's one thing I don't really understand. If your shyness is that bad, then how come Nana and I are able to hear you?"

" _That…I really don't know. I've known Nana since I've started middle school. And on that first day of meeting her, I felt a weird connection with her. Almost like…she knows my pain._ "

"I see…"

" _And as for you…maybe it's because you know her too._ "

"Yeah, I guess. I can't really think of a better reason."

" _By the way, how do you know her?_ "

"Well…Nana is friends with my dad. But they haven't seen each other in 20 years. And with him and my mom both traveling overseas for work, I moved here and she's looking after me."

" _Woah. 20 years? Wonder how come she never told me that?_ "

"You too, huh? She's been keeping secrets from me ever since yesterday. I asked why she and my dad don't visit each other often. And all she said was " _It's not that easy_ "."

" _What's not easy about that?_ "

"No idea. Every time I ask, she changes the subject. I would leave it alone, but if it involves my dad, then…"

" _I understand. I would be doing the same thing._ "

"Glad I'm not alone in this."

Matsumoto-senpai started to laugh all of a sudden. Which obviously got me curious.

"What's so funny, Senpai?" I asked.

" _Oh, nothing bad. It's just that we only met hours ago and yet here we are, telling each other about our problems._ "

I thought about that for a second, then started laughing as well.

"Yeah. I guess that is rather funny."

" _But…in all honestly…talking to you really made me feel better. Thank you for this, Ichiko-san._ "

"You're welcome, Matsumoto-senpai. By the way, you can call me Sachiko if you want."

" _Really?_ " Matsumoto-senpai looked shocked. But then she grew a smile on her face. " _Okay. And feel free to call me Rise._ "

"Alright then. I hope we can be great friends…Rise."

" _Same here…Sachiko._ "

We both ended up laughing together at our new found friendship. So much in fact, that we didn't notice Nana coming back from the store.

"Well, this is a surprise. You two getting along?" She asked us.

" _ ***giggle***_ Yeah, we are."

" _We were just talking with each other._ "

"I see. Well, it's nice that you can hear Rise, Sachiko. Now she has two people around her age that she can rely on."

" _ **N-Nana!**_ " Rise started blushing.

"Huh? Two? Who's the second on?"

I turned back to Rise, who was still blushing, expecting her to answer my question. And after staring her down, she finally caved.

" _F-Fine._ " She whined. " _Th-There's this person I know. She can hear me as well. And we get along well, too._ "

"I see. So who is this girl?" I asked. And once again, Rise went silent.

"You said that yesterday you went to the Amusement Club, right?" Nana asked me.

"Huh? Well, yeah I did. Pretty weird club. But it was also kinda fun and…wait, what does that have to do with this conversation?"

Nana grew a smirk on her face as she pointed over to Rise, who now had a small faint blush on her own face.

"Who's in that club again? Let's see…there's Kyouko…"

No response.

"Yui…"

No response.

"Chinastu…"

Still no response.

" _Akari…_ "

" _Wh-Why did you say it like that?!_ " I then saw that Rise's blushed face was back to full tint. Then the answer came to me in an instant. And it was a mind-blower.

"Wait, hold on. Rise, do you…"

" _ ***sigh***_ _Y-Yeah. I-I do._ "

"Wow. I didn't think you swung that way. I-I'm not judging or anything, it's just…"

" _No. I understand what you mean. Besides you and Nana, no one else knows this. Not even Akari._ "

"It's that reason why she's trying to overcome her shyness." Nana added.

"Wow. That's bold." I said. I looked over at Rise one last time and saw that she was still blushing hard.

"Well, I believe in you, Rise. I know you can do it."

" _R-Really?!_ " Rise looked shocked.

I nodded my head in agreement and gave her a thumbs up to prove my point even further.

" _Wow. Thank you, Sachiko._ " Rise grew a smile on her face.

"You're welcome." I said while returning the smile.

"Now with that out of the way, I brought some donuts if you guys want any." Nana said.

"Why wouldn't we? It's the only thing here to eat."

" _You haven't gone food shopping yet?_ " Rise asked me.

"No, not yet. But since it's Sunday, I guess I should go do it today. Wanna come with?"

" _Sure._ "

"I would come too…" Nana said. "But I'm working on this latest experiment that should cause **GRAND** results."

" _Nana, please don't blow your roof off again._ "

"I won't…purposely."

"Wait, what?! You mean you've blown the roof off your house before?!" I asked in a panicked state.

"Yeah. Left a few holes in it, too. But it's still standing."

I looked over to Rise and got closer to her ear.

"How is she a science teacher?" I asked her.

" _Sometimes I wonder that myself._ "

" _What was that?_ " Nana sounded insulted.

"Nothing, Nana." We both said nonchalantly as we continued to eat the donuts she brought us.

 _Yuck. They're a little stale…_

 **Final Thought: Rise Matsumoto…she's a nice girl. I can't relate to her and her struggles, but it's nice that the two of us became friends. And the fact that she has feelings for Akari… does she swing that way as well? I guess it's best not to ask.**

 **Tomorrow I go back for my second day of school. Wonder how that's going to play out. Until then, thank you for reading along. I hope you come back soon. Bye now!**


	4. Basketball, Brawls, & Blood

**Chapter 4 – Basketball, Brawls, & Blood**

Monday came along and I was about to experience what Gym is like in the city. Back home, "Gym" was basically us tending the school garden, feeding the animals, and stuff like that. It was okay, and we often kept whatever fruit or veggies we grew. But I've been anxious to find out what an actual Gym class is like. Especially if they have that one thing.

"So I heard that we're playing Basketball today." Chinastu said.

 _Basketball?! Aw, yeah!_

"Geez. I hope that I actually get picked for a team this time." Akari said. "Even though I'm not really good at it, I still want to play."

"Yeah, me too."

"Basketball, huh?"

"You've played it before, Sachiko?" Akari asked me.

"Yeah. I used to play a lot back home with my friends. We even made our own team."

"Wow. You think you can teach us how to play?" Chinastu asked.

"H-Huh? Teach you? Uh…"

" **Will you let go of me?!** "

" **As if! I can't stand how perfect you look! Always flaunting around like you're pretty and stuff! You're such a show-off!**

The three of us looked over to see two other girls having an argument over…well…I actually can't tell. There's this dark blonde girl clinging to this blue-haired girl…trying to grab her chest?

I wasn't sure if I should be worried, creeped out, or just straight up confused.

"Hey! Cut it out, you two!" Chinastu yelled at the two.

" **But she started it!** " The blonde yelled.

"All I wanted was to borrow a shirt cause I left mine at home. And then here she is throwing a fit over my chest again." The blue-haired girl said.

"Wait, this is normal?" I asked Akari.

"Unfortunately, yes."

"It wouldn't be normal if Boob-chan here didn't show-off her jugs all the time!" The blonde yelled. "You guys agree with me, right?"

"No." Chinastu said.

"It's none of my business." Akari said.

"I have no idea what's going on." I said.

" _ ***whine***_ "

"Anyway…sorry you had to see that, Sachiko. These two fight all the time." Chinastu said.

"Really? All the time?"

"Even though they tend to hang out with each other." Akari added.

…

"I don't get it."

"It's kinda complicated." The blue-haired girl said. "By the way, my name is Himawari Furutani."

"And I'm Sakurako Ohmuro! The most likable girl in the whole school! Nice to meet ya, Sachiko!" The blonde cheered.

" _Look who's showing off now…_ " Himawari said under her breath.

"I see. Well, nice to meet you both, Himawari and Sakurako." I said.

"Hey. Are you girls done, yet? The others are waiting for you." Our teacher scolded us.

"Y-Yes, Sensei." We all said as we watched her leave the room.

"We should hurry up, then." Akari said.

"Right." We all agreed.

* * *

 ***ONE CHANGING SESSION LATER…***

"Woah…so **this** is a gym?" I asked as the five of us walked inside the school's gymnasium.

"Uh…yeah." Chinastu said. "You're saying you've never been to one?"

"No, not really. My school didn't have one. In fact, we didn't exactly have a Gym class."

"No Gym class?!" Sakurako yelled. "Geez, I get that you're from the country! But I didn't think you spent all day messing around with vegetables!"

"It wasn't all day, Sakurako. Maybe like…2-3 hours."

"What?! That's **WAY** too long!"

"Maybe. But it was worth it. Got to keep all the stuff I grew. Flowers, fruits, veggies…"

"A-And you actually **EAT** that stuff?"

"Well, they are food."

"Not to me! Those things are gross!"

"And yet, you keep complaining about your size." Himawari said.

" _Like you're one to talk, Boob-chan!_ "

 _Boob-chan?_

"I keep telling you to stop calling me that!"

"Why? It suits you _**really**_ well!"

" _Why you little…_ "

"Hey! Furutani-san! Ohmuro-san! Stop yelling and pay attention!" The coach yelled.

"Y-Yes, Sensei!" They both said. I heard Akari and Chinastu laugh at little next to me. I kept silent, fearing that it'll only make it worse.

"Now then. As you all know, this week is basketball. First off, let's practice 1-on-1. Who wants to volunteer?"

" **Ooh, ooh, ooh! Over here! Pick me, teach! Pick me, pick me, pick ME!** "

" _ ***sigh***_ Yes! I see you, Ohmura-san! Just get over here!"

" **Yay!** "

"Unbelievable." Himawari said as we watch Sakurako head up to center court.

"Alright. Who else wants to volunteer?"

"Hey, Sachiko. Didn't you say that you played basketball back home?" Akari whispered to me.

"Yeah."

"Oh, yeah. Right." Chinastu said. "Go on up there, Sachiko. We could learn from how you play."

"I wouldn't mind seeing that. Maybe give Sakurako a taste of her own medicine." Himawari said.

"Well…I guess I could give it a shot."

"Yes! Thanks a bunch, Sachiko!" Chinastu said.

I smiled a little as I faced the front of the court and raised my hand.

"I'll do it, Sensei."

"Ah. You're the transfer student. Ichiko-san, right? Alright. Let's see what you got."

I got up from the bleachers and joined Sakurako on center court. She smiled and gave me a thumbs up and I returned the same to her.

"Alright, girls. Listen up." The coach told us. "First to 3 wins. Standard rules apply. Ohmura-san, you start off." She handed the ball over to Sakurako and blew the whistle.

" _ ***giggle***_ Don't worry, Sachiko. Since we're friends, I'll go easy on ya…"

 ***swipe***

"H-Huh?"

While she was talking, I took the ball from her and ran towards the end of the court. Shooting the ball into the basket, sensually making a 3-pointer.

" _Whoa…_ " I heard the other girls in our class say in amazement.

"H-Hey!" Sakurako whined.

"Sorry, Sakurako. I just saw an opening and I took it."

" _Nice_ play, Ichiko-san." The coach said. "Alright. You start next round." I was handed the ball and started dribbling it as I stood in front of Sakurako, who was blocking my path.

"Tch. You're good." Sakurako said to me. "Forget what I said about going easy. Show me your moves, Sachiko!"

 _Did she really just say that?_

"Alright." I said. I started to plan out my path to the basket. Then, when the time was right, dodged Sakurako's attempts to steal the ball and headed for the end of the court. Making another 3-pointer in the process.

" _Woah!_ " The class shouted.

"Alright, that's enough." The coach said.

"B-But teach! I still got another shot!" Sakurako complained.

"Yeah, but I've seen enough. You were still holding back were you, Ichiko-san?"

"Yeah. I was."

"Just as to be expected from a legend like you."

"Legend?" The class asked.

 ***INSERT CLASSIC JAPANESE SCHOOL BELL CHIME HERE***

"Alright. Gym's over. You girls go on and change."

As the coach walked away from us and the other girls went to go change, Akari, Chinastu, and Himawari met up with us on the court.

"S-Sachiko…what did Sensei mean by "a legend like you"?" Chinastu asked.

"Hehhehheh…yeah, about that. When I said that I used to play basketball back home, I _kinda_ left out the part where our team went to nationals."

" **What?!** " The four girls shouted.

"T-To nationals?!" Himawari asked.

"Yeah. Although we didn't win. We managed to get to 3rd place."

"Y-Yeah, but 3rd place in the nation! Why didn't you bring that up?!" Akari asked.

"Sorry. I just wanted to start fresh, you know? A girl from a small town in the country moving to the big city. No one was going to treat me normally if I just bragged about going to the Basketball National Championships. So I left that part out. I didn't mean to lie to you guys."

"No. We understand."

"I would've done the same thing." Chinastu said.

"So I guess you're secret's out now, huh?" Himawari asked.

"Yeah, pretty much. Pretty sure everyone's going to want to know as well."

"Well, let them know!" Sakurako cheered as she wrapped her arm around my neck. "Cause now they get to know about my brand-new rival!"

"R-Rival?!" I asked in shock. "B-But I thought we were friends, Sakurako!"

"Oh, we are. It's just that I can't let you have this win. Let's see if you can keep up with me, Sachiko Ichiko."

After thinking about what she said, I grew a smirk on my face and wrapped my arm around Sakurako's neck.

"Alright. You're on, Sakurako Ohmura."

"Maybe now you'll get a break, Himawari." Akari said to her.

"Thank the everlasting Gods." She mumbled to herself.

* * *

After school came by and both Akari and Chinastu had somehow convinced me to go with them to the Amusement Club again. I did say that I would think about joining. But in all honesty…I forgot. I didn't tell them that, though. They seem really passionate about me joining this club.

Right now, we were telling Yui and Kyouko what I told Akari, Chinastu, Himawari, and Sakurako during Gym today. And like them, they were shocked as well.

"Really? To nationals?" Yui asked.

"Yeah. Even though we got eliminated during the semi-finals, we still felt like we won. I know that sounds cheesy, but we were 12 at the time."

"I see."

"Woah! So we have an all-star basketball player in our club!" Kyouko cheered. "With this, the Amusement Club will be well-known across the school!"

"Hey. Pipe down." Yui said to her.

"W-Well, I wouldn't say "all-star"." I said while rubbing the back of my head. "Professional, maybe."

"Oh, come on. Stop doubting yourself, Sachiko. You're really good." Chinastu said.

"Yeah. You managed to get Sakurako off of Himawari's back for a while." Akari added.

"Wow. You did **that**? I'm impressed, Sachiko." Yui said.

"Aw, geez." I started to blush a little. "All of this praise is actually a little too…"

" **TOSHINIO KYOUKO!** "

…

…

 _What?_

We all looked at the door to see a purple-haired girl standing at the entrance. The facial expression she had right now really gave off a serious and somewhat scary aura.

"Pardon the intrusion." Behind her was another girl with white hair and glasses. She also gave a scary aura. But for a different reason. I'm not sure what, though.

"Hiya, Ayano. How can I help ya?" Kyouko asked.

"D-Don't give me that! Y-You know exactly why I'm here! You didn't turn in the handout from earlier!"

"Oh, yeah. That. Can't you give me just a _**little**_ more time? _Please?_ "

" _B-But I…I already gave you extra time last week and…_ "

" _Please, Ayano. I'll give you a special edition of the next_ _Mirakurun._ "

" _ ***moan***_ _O-Okay fine._ "

"Yay!"

"B-But don't get any ideas. I-It's not like I like reading your stories or anything."

"As you wish, Ayano-sama!"

…

…

"Uh…what just happened?" I asked. Completely lost from that entire conversation.

"Oh. Sorry, Sachiko." Kyouko said. "This right here is the student council president, the great and powerful Ayano-sama!"

"Ayano-sama?"

"U-Use my real name, Toshinio Kyouko!" The girl yelled at her. Then turned to face me. "My name is Ayano Sugiura. And yes, I am the student council president. You're…Sachiko Ichiko, right?"

"Yes. That's me."

"Nice to meet you, Ichiko-san." The white-haired girl said. "I'm Chitose Ikeda, a member of the student council."

"Nice to meet you both."

 _I guess…_

"That being said, I took a look at your file. Are you really from Hakone?" Ayano asked.

"Yep. Born and raised."

"I've heard how peaceful that area is. I've always wanted to go there myself. Mainly for the hot springs."

"Oh, yes. They are relaxing. So much so, you can fall asleep in it. Although you really shouldn't."

"Ooh. Ayano wants to experience Hakone's hot springs. You don't mind me tagging along, do you?" Kyouko asked.

" **Wh-Wh-Wh-What?! I-I-I-I-I** …uh…" Ayano went silent as started to blush a lot.

" _Hahahaha. Ayano and Kyouko at the hot spring together. What a nice view._ " Chitose said while she bled from her nose…

Wait…

" **Sh-She's bleeding!** " I started to panic.

"Yeah, that happens a lot." Akari said as she gave a tissue to Chitose.

" _Thank you, Akari…_ " Chitose said while still in a woozy state.

"Uh…why does that happen a lot?"

"It's best not to know." Yui said. And I took her word for it.

"Well, I should be going. I gotta stop at the store to pick up dinner."

"Wait, Sachiko. Have you thought about it yet?" Chinastu asked me.

 _Right. That._

"Thought of what?" Ayano asked.

"Sachiko's our newest member of the Amusement Club." Kyouko said.

"She hasn't decided yet." Yui reminded her.

"Really? You plan on joining this club?" Ayano asked me. "It's not official."

"Yeah, I know." I then went silent while thinking about this really hard. "But…"

" _But…_ " Everyone asked.

"…I gotta admit, talking with you guys is rather fun."

"So…"

"…Okay. I'll join."

"Yay!" Akari, Chinastu, and Kyouko cheered as they rushed over to hug me. All of them hugging me at the same time was rather uncomfortable. Especially Kyouko. Girl has some serious grip.

" _G-Guys! I-I can't…breathe!_ "

"Oops. Sorry, Sachiko." Akari said.

"Alright, then." Ayano said. "You'll have to come by tomorrow to fill out a sheet. You don't mind, do you?"

"Sure. I got time."

"Great! See you tomorrow, new club member!" Kyouko cheered.

"See ya."

I left the (really spacious) clubroom and started heading home. Feeling really excited about the many days to come with these weird new friends of mine.

 _Life in the city is going to be crazier than I thought._

 **Final Thought: Geez. What a day. Not only did my class find out that I'm a pro basketball player, but I joined the oddly-named Amusement Club. Now I wonder what else can happen while I'm here. Anyway, thank you for reading along. I hope you come back soon. Bye now!**


	5. Rise's Sensitivity

**Chapter 5 – Rise's Sensitivity**

" _ ***phew***_ _And…done._ " Rise said as she placed the broom next to a wall for it to lean against.

"You know, you didn't have to come over and clean with me. I could've done it myself since it was just minor stuff."

" _I don't mind, really. It's the weekend and I have the day off from work. So I needed something to do._ "

"Huh. I see."

It's been a few days since I started going to Nanamori and a week overall since I moved to the city. I've been slowly getting used to it all. I already have tons of new friends, and both Nana and Rise often come over to help me out with things such as food shopping and cleaning.

The latter is the reason why Rise is here with me now.

"So. With that done, what do you wanna do now?" I asked.

" _Hmm…not sure. I don't really have anything else planned for the day._ "

"Yeah, me neither."

 ***KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK***

 ***KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK***

 ***KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK***

"Geez. Someone's persistent."

" _Were you expecting someone?_ " Rise asked.

"No. Which makes it all the more annoying that whoever it is knocked 9 times in a row."

 ***BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUZZ***

"Plus a really long buzzer press." I was starting to get agitated now.

" _You better go answer it before that person ends up bringing the door down._ "

" _ ***sigh***_ Yeah, I should."

As I got closer to the door, I could hear voices coming from the other side of the door. It was more than one. And they sounded…kinda girly.

"Why must you always knock on people's doors like you're a lunatic?"

"Come on! How else are we supposed to get people to open their doors?"

"By knocking three times and/or ringing the buzzer for a short time and wait patiently."

" _ **Pssh.**_ Who has time for that? Not when I have these doujinshi to sell!"

" _ ***sigh***_ You really are hopeless."

 _Wait, these voice sound familiar. Almost like I know them…_

I got to the door and started opening it to see who it was on the other side of my door. And I was rather shocked.

"Huh? Yui? Kyouko?"

"No way! Sachiko! You live here, too?!" Kyouko cheered.

"Uh…yeah?" I answer. Still mildly confused. "And what do you mean by "live here, too"?"

"Well, duh! Yui lives in this apartment building, too!"

"Really?" I asked Yui.

"Yeah. In fact, I'm actually a few doors down."

"Huh. Small world."

"Anyway…" Kyouko said. "Now that we know you're here, this is the perfect time for me to enlighten you with my Mirakurun doujinshi!"

…

…

"Uh…wh-who's Mirakurun again?" I asked.

" **Gak!** _That question is going to be the death of me._ "

"Ah, shut up." Yui said to her.

I couldn't help but laugh a little.

"So. Aren't you gonna let us in?" Kyouko asked.

"H-Huh? Y-You wanna come in? I-I don't know. It's kinda sudd-"

"Too late!" Kyouko cheered as she ran past me into my apartment.

"H-Hey!"

"I feel you, Sachiko. She does it to me, too." Yui said.

"I-I see."

* * *

I let Yui come inside and we both joined Kyouko as she was giving herself a tour of my apartment. So many "Ooh's" and "Ahh's" going around. Not sure what she's impressed about. My apartment is apparently the same as Yui's.

But then she almost went inside my room. And I stopped her just in the nick of time.

" _ ***whine***_ _No fair, Sachiko! I wanna see your room!_ " Kyouko whined.

"No way!"

" **Hmph!** Fine! You don't get to see my room!"

"Why would _**anyone**_ want to see your room? It's always a pigsty." Yui added.

"Ignoring that…"

" _ ***sigh***_ " I sat down in the chair next to Rise.

" _Well, this was…unexpected._ " She said to me.

"Yeah. Completely unexpected."

"Huh?" Yui asked as she turned to face us. "Oh. Hello, Matsumoto-senpai. Didn't know you were here."

"You mean you didn't notice her when you came in?" I asked.

"Well, I would've. If it wasn't for you-know-who."

"R-Right."

" _Hey. "You-know-who" is right here, you know._ " Kyouko sounded insulted.

"Yeah, we know." Yui said with a smirk on her face.

 _Are these two really friends?_

"Anyway. It's been a while since the last time we saw you, Matsumoto-senpai. Everything's okay?" Yui asked her.

Rise just simply nodded "yes" to the question.

"And is high school as fun as everyone says it is?"

Rise just simply nodded "yes" to the question.

"And did you gain a presence while doing so?" Kyouko asked.

" **Kyouko!** "

 _Gain a presence?_

Rise didn't answer that one. Instead, she faced away from us with with a look of nervousness and sadness. Her cheeks were all red as well. And I think I saw a couple tears from her eyes.

"H-Hey, Rise. Y-You okay?" I asked her.

Rise didn't answer. The tears in her eyes were now running down her face as she brought her head down lower. I wasn't sure what Kyouko meant by "gain a presence", but I did know that Rise sees it as a negative thing.

So as an attempt to cheer her up, I gave her a hug and did so until she stopped crying. Then I gave her some tissues that were lying around the kitchen to wipe her tears away.

" _Th-Thank you, Sachiko._ " She said.

"Don't mention it."

"Wait. So, you can hear her?" Yui asked.

"Yeah. Although we don't know how. We're guessing that it's because I know Nishigaki."

"I see…" Yui then faced Kyouko and punched her on the top of her head.

" **Ow!** "

"You jerk! I can't believe you brought that up!"

"It was just a simple question! I wasn't trying to bully her or anything!"

"Right. Sure."

"I'm serious! I'm not a bully!"

"There are many instances that can prove your statement wrong."

"B-But…"

"G-Guys. It's fine, really." I said. "Matsumoto's better now. So you can stop yelling."

" _ ***sigh***_ I guess." Yui said.

"Matsumoto, I'm so sorry if I hurt you. Can you forgive me?" Kyouko asked her.

Rise didn't answer for a short while. But eventually, she nodded. Agreeing to the apology.

"Great!"

 ***GROWL***

" _Ugh. My stomach. I think I ate too much rum raisin this morning._ "

 _This morning?_

" _H-Hey, Sachiko. C-Can I use your bathroom?_ "

"Down the hall to your right."

" _Th-Thanks._ _ **Gah!**_ " Kyouko then rushed to the bathroom. Slamming the door behind her.

 _Well, I guess I gotta clean that area again…_

I then turned to Rise to see that she was looking a little better than she was a little while ago.

"Hey. Are you really okay?" I asked.

" _Yeah. I'm fine. Thanks for helping me out._ "

"You're welcome."

" _And, uh secretly…I never really accepted Kyouko's apology. In fact, I never liked her to begin with._ "

"Huh. Well, I can see why."

"See what?" Yui asked.

"Oh, um…Rise just said that she never liked Kyouko to begin with."

"Wow, really?" Yui sounded shocked. "Then again, I don't blame you."

" _Can you keep it a secret, Yui?_ "

"She's asking if you can keep it a secret."

"Sure. I don't really mind. You're secret's safe with me."

Rise nodded as a full smile appeared on her face. She seems happier than before. Which is good for me. Seeing her sad is just the worst. Especially with what she's been through.

" _Aw…so much better._ " Kyouko said as she came out the bathroom.

"You didn't break my toilet, did you?" I asked.

" **N-No!** " Kyouko started to blush.

"Or how about stink up the whole bathroom?"

" **No! I didn't!** _ ***sigh***_ G-Geez! I may act all hyper, but I'm still a girl, you know?! I'm not all gross and stuff!"

"You're not gross?" I asked.

"You're a girl?" Yui asked.

" _ ***whine***_ **You jerks!** " Kyouko shouted as she pouted and faced away from us.

I heard Rise giggling next to me. Seeing Kyouko like this must be really funny to her. Considering that she doesn't like her.

"Hey, Senpai." Yui said. "I've been meaning to ask you something. What's high school like? I've been wondering since us two and the others are going there soon."

" _It's a long explanation. Are you willing to translate it all?_ " Rise asked me.

"Come on. Don't worry about it. I can do it. We got all day, don't we?"

…

…

" _I-I'll just whisper it to you…_ " Rise said with a sweatdrop.

 _ ***whisper***_

"She said high school's really fun. Although kinda tough. There's a lot more work to do there than in middle school."

"Yeah. I guess that would make sense." Yui said.

 _ ***whisper***_

"There's also so much fun stuff to do. The Cultural Festival was super fun. I got to go with my friends."

"Friends?"

 _ ***whisper***_

"Yes. I made new friends there, as well. They're very nice people. We even started our own club."

" **A club?!** " Kyouko shouted as she shot up in excitement. " **Ooh, ooh! Is it another Amusement Club?! We could merge them both!** "

...

 _ ***whisper***_

"She said Ew."

" **Ew?! How is it Ew?! What's wrong with it?!** "

 _ ***whisper***_

"A lot of reasons. But she doesn't feel like running through them all."

" _ ***whine***_ _When did you become so mean, Senpai_?"

Rise didn't answer. As she thought it was the best option.

 _ ***whisper***_

"She said she and her friends brought back the Literature Club."

"The Literature Club?" Both girls asked.

 _ ***whisper***_

"They meet every day. And often talk about books they read or something else in general."

"Sounds boring."

 ***POW***

"Shut it." Yui said after hitting Kyouko in the head.

 _ ***whisper***_

"But now with exams done, we haven't done much for a while. We're kinda waiting for summer to come by to meet up again."

…

"Wait, exams? What are those?" I asked.

"Y-You're kidding? You never had exams?" Kyouko asked.

"I-Is that a bad thing?"

"No. In fact, you're kinda lucky, Sachiko. Exams are a brutal time to go through."

"For once, she's right." Yui said. Rise looked at me and said that exams really are brutal. I got super worried. Now that I live in Tokyo and not Hakone anymore, I was going to take these exams next year.

 _Great._

"Ooh!" Kyouko yelled. "Speaking of summer, what are we going to do next week?"

"Do we really have to do something?" Yui asked. "Can't we just stay home?"

"What are you saying, Yui? We most definitely have to do something. Especially this time since we made a new friend."

"Are you okay with this, Sachiko?"

"Well…I'm technically still getting used to the city. I haven't even gotten a tour of it yet." I said.

"I see. Well, we can easily do that."

"Really?"

" _Aw. But what about the beach?_ " Kyouko whined.

"Why is it always the beach with you?"

" _Well, I don't wanna walk around the city._ "

"Well, I'm tired of the beach. And I'm sure everyone else is, too."

"B-But…"

"Uh…hey, guys. Can we talk about this later?" I asked. "I have to go out and get dinner."

"Oh, right. Sorry, Sachiko. We'll see you at school on Monday." Yui said.

"I'll just leave this here." Kyouko said as she placed one of her doujinshi on the kitchen counter. "That way, you'll be more familiar."

"Uh…"

"Get over here!" Yui said as she pulled on Kyouko's arm.

"See ya, Sachiko! See ya, Matsumoto!" That was when the door shut behind the two. Leaving the apartment as silent as it was before they came here.

" _ ***sigh***_ "

" _You sure are lucky._ "

"Me? Lucky? How?"

" _Well…on your first day, you managed to make so many friends in such a rapid pace._ "

"I-I wouldn't say "many". I only made like…3 or 4 friends that day."

" _That's still more than I had in a lifetime._ "

"Rise. Come on. You just said you have friends in high school. Why are you getting moody on me now?"

" _I-I'm not moody. I'm just saying…_ "

"What you're saying is total nonsense. You have lots of friends. Me, Nana, those friends from your school. Not to mention your crush on Akari."

" _D-Did you really had to bring that up?_ " Rise started to blush.

"Sorry. But my point still stands. I mean, what more proof do you need?"

" _Well…_ " Rise thought about it for a second. She was actually thinking about how can I prove to her that she has friends. How it came to this, I have no idea.

" _I…I could use some help overcoming my shyness. A little._ "

"That's it?"

" _A friend would help me with that, right?_ "

"Yeah, you're not wrong." I said as I thought about Rise's request. "Well. It that's what it'll take to prove to you…then I'll help you out. You just need to stop doubting yourself about this topic. Deal?"

" _Deal._ " Rise said as she grabbed and shook my hand.

"Now I don't know about you, but I'm starving. I'm going to the store."

" _Yeah, I should probably get home too. See you around?_ "

"Sure thing. I am your friend, right?"

Rise didn't say anything. Instead, she smiled and gave a thumbs up as we both headed out the front door and eventually our own separate ways.

 **Final Thought: Geez. Who knew that Rise was so sensitive? Then again, who wouldn't be when you're just as shy as she is. I really need to prove to her that she's not alone. And I guess the way to do that is to help her overcome her shyness. Not sure how to do that, but it's worth a shot, right?**

 **Anyway, thank you for reading along. I hope you come back soon. Bye now.**


	6. Stress in the City

**Chapter 6 – Stress in the City**

Monday after school was a real crazy one. It started with a regular meeting at the Amusement Club (whatever that's supposed to be) and Kyouko had once again brought up the conversation of what we should do over summer break.

"What?! You're tired of the beach too, Akari?!"

"I'm not so much tired of it. It's more like " _I'm tired of_ _ **attempting**_ _to go to the beach and getting left behind like every single time we go and do something._ "." The look on Akari's face made me believe that what she just said has happened numerous times.

"C-Come on, Akari. It's not _**every**_ time."

" _Really?_ Well, there's the beach, the camping trip, the hot spring, _Comiket, class field trips, sleepovers,_ _ **normal days where we just hang out…**_ "

"A-Akari. Calm down." Yui said as Akari was slowly getting angry while proving her point.

"Look, my point is…I just don't want to do anything this summer. I'll just end up being ignored again."

"Come on, Akari. It won't be fun without you." Chinastu said to her.

"Wait, how come Akari gets ignored all the time?" I asked.

"Well…" Kyouko started rubbing the back of her head. "You see, Akari technically lacks a presence."

"Lacks a presence?"

I turned to face Akari and stared at her for a bit.

"But she's right here."

" **THANK YOU!** " Akari shouted.

"Akari. You know that's not what I mean." Kyouko said.

"The thing is…Akari's personality can be so normal at times that she often gets forgotten when it comes to stuff like those." Yui explained.

"Forgotten for being…normal? I don't get it."

"That's because it's just an excuse made so that people can treat me like ******** and feel good about it."

The four of us looked at Akari with looks of shock and disbelieve. What she said just now was…

 _Wow._

"Since when did you start cursing?!" Yui asked.

"A while ago. It helps me out with stress."

"Stress from what?!"

"You know. Like what I just said not too *********** long ago."

" **Akari!** " Both Yui and Chinastu shouted.

"Whoa…Akari cursing. This might boost your presence up by a long shot, Akari!" Kyouko cheered.

" **As if!** "

"Akari. There are other ways of handling your stress." I said.

"Like what, Sachiko? Are they better than saying ******** under your breath?"

"Y-Yeah. Pr-Pretty sure they are."

"How about we ask the others for help?" Chinastu suggested. "I don't think we can handle this ourselves."

"Good idea, Chinastu." Yui said.

"Alright! To the student council room!" Kyouko cheered.

"I can only hope some weird ********* ****** doesn't happen to me on the way there." Akari said.

…

…

…

…

"You know, I could get used to this." Kyouko said.

" _You better not._ " Yui, Chinastu, and I retorted.

* * *

We were lucky that Akari didn't curse on the way to the student council room. I may have only known her for a week, but hearing her say such words is really unlike her. She can't be _**that**_ stressed about being ignored, can she?

 _Is she?_

 ***KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK***

"Come in."

" **Ayano-sama!** "

" **T-Toshinio Kyouko?!** "

"And the rest of us." Yui added.

"R-Right. W-Well, what do you want?"

"We need you guy's help." Chinastu said. "We need a new stress-reliever for Akari."

"A stress-reliever?" Chitose asked.

"For Akari?" Himawari asked.

"Yeah." Akari said. "Because saying ******** like ******** apparently isn't acceptable in this *********** society."

" **Gak!** _ ***cough* *cough* *cough***_ **Wh-What the heck?!** " Ayano shouted while almost choking on the pudding she was eating.

" **Woah! Akari just cursed! So cool!** " Sakurako cheered.

" **No, it's not!** " Himawari yelled. " **Akari, when did you start cursing?!** "

"Hmm…a while ago. Though, I'm not surprised it took you guys so long to notice. Not counting Sachiko, I mean."

"So, you've been saying words like that all this time?" Chitose asked.

"Yeah. Not to other people, though. Although, I guess this counts as doing that. ******** , this sucks."

" **Stop saying those words!** " Chinastu shouted.

"O-Okay. I-I can see why you came to us." Ayano was still in disbelief but was able to talk to us. "We need to find Akari a new way to release her stress. Anyone got any ideas?"

"I don't see what the problem is." Sakurako said. "I say ******** like that all the time."

 ***POW***

"Ow!"

"And I hit you like that all the time." Himawari said.

"What are you even stressing about, Akari?" Chitose asked.

"My presence. What else?"

"Do you guys really ignore and forget her a lot?" I asked.

"W-We don't do it on purpose." Ayano said. Then went silent for a bit. "Well…Toshinio Kyouko does."

"Huh?!" Kyouko reacted.

"Almost every day, to be exact." Chitose added.

"It **IS** every day." Chinastu said.

"Sakurako does it, too." Himawari said.

"What?!" Sakurako yelled. "Hold up! I don't ignore Akari!"

"Yeah, neither do I!" Kyouko yelled. "I already said I'm not a bully!"

" _Right._ " The other five girls said.

"I'm serious! A-And besides, what about you, Chinastu?! You're always spouting nonsense about marrying Yui someday!"

"Wait, what?" Yui and I asked.

" **Kyouko! I can't believe you just said that! Here and now of all times!** " Chinastu shouted with a bright-red blush on her face.

"And don't think you can get off either, Ayano!" Sakurako yelled. "You're always talking about how someday Kyouko will notice your feelings for her!"

"Wait, what?" This time, Kyouko and I asked.

" _ **Sakurako! You're gonna pay for that!**_ " Ayano got angry. Her face was just as red as Chinastu's.

"Well, it is really obvious, Ayano." Chitose said.

" _Oh really, Chitose? Cause I wouldn't say it's more obvious than your perverted fantasies._ "

"H-Hey, don't bring my fantasies into this! They're a work of art that most people don't understand!"

"It's not so much as "don't" and more like "refuse" to understand." Himawari said.

"Hmph! Like you're one to talk, Himawari!"

"Huh?!"

"Yeah, that's right!" Chinastu yelled. "You and Sakurako argue every single day! Don't think you two can get out of this!"

"Get out of _**what**_ _?!_ " Sakurako asked.

"What are you implying?!" Himawari asked.

"Oh, you know very well what I'm implying!"

"G-Guys, please!" Yui yelled.

As the 6 girls continue to argue with each other, Yui tried to break off the fight before it got any worse. While that was happening, I noticed that Akari had left the room. And with the others fighting each other, it's pretty clear that they didn't even notice.

" _ ***sigh***_ Looks like it's up to me." I said to myself as I exited the room and started looking for Akari.

* * *

It took me a long while to find Akari. I looked all around the school (and got lost a few times) and still couldn't find this girl. That is until a girl from our class told me that Akari usually hangs out on the roof by herself. When I asked why, she said that it's just something she does.

I got to the roof and sure enough, there was Akari. Sitting on the edge of the roof staring off into the sky. She looked peaceful. But I was worried if whether or not she'll start cursing again.

"Akari."

"Oh. Hey, Sachiko. How'd you know I was up here?"

"I asked around. A girl from class said that you usually come up here."

"Oh, that was probably Kaneko-san."

"Kaneko-san…eh, not ringing a bell. Is she your friend?"

"Well, kinda. We hang out sometimes., but that's about it."

"I see." I then realized that I was getting distracted. I had to get focused and get to the bottom of this.

"H-Hey, Akari. Can we talk? W-Without the curse words this time?" I asked.

"Oh. I bet you're wondering about that, huh? Well yeah, we can talk. Where do you want to start?"

"Why even ask that? you already know the answer."

"Yeah. I know." Akari went silent for a bit. Then let out a quick, but huge sigh. "The cursing isn't a stress-reliever thing. It's actually…a part of my personality."

"Huh?" I was totally lost.

"Well…that whole "innocent & pure" thing is all an act. The real me is…well…"dirty-minded & immature"."

"Dirty-minded? Immature?" I sat there and thought about the words Akari used to describe herself. Then one word came to mind.

" _Sooo…_ you're a pervert?"

"U-Uh, w-well…k-kinda." Akari started to blush. "B-But not like Chitose. I-I just…like dirty jokes and…curse a lot. I-Is that really perverted?"

"No, no. I get it now. I'm actually shocked that you kept this side of you hidden until now."

"Well…I originally didn't want to."

"Huh?"

"I started revealing my true self when I was in 6th grade. When Yui and Kyouko came here for their first year."

"No way. You three knew each other back then?"

"Oh, yeah. The three of us are childhood friends. We actually met Chinastu here."

"Huh. Interesting."

"Anyway…when those two left, I was able to act as my true self. And everyone liked me for it. there wasn't a single day where people didn't ask for one of my dirty jokes. Wanna hear one?"

"Uh…I'll think about it."

Akari giggled a bit at my response.

"But then when I came to Nanamori and reunited with Yui and Kyouko, I had to hide it again. I figured that I'll only have to wait two years before I can go back to acting normal. But then I met Chinastu, Himawari, Sakurako, and then you came just last week. Plus, there's that "lack of presence" thing everyone keeps talking about. It's been really hard to hold it in for this long. And I eventually broke. I didn't want to tell them about my true side. So I went along with it. Claiming that it's a way to relieve stress."

"Wow, Akari. I'm impressed. Keeping a whole different side of you a secret for so long. How'd you do it?"

"Trust me, Sachiko. It's a **huge** struggle."

It must be. Keeping something as big as a different personality, let alone, your _**true**_ personality…to yourself from your friends. I still don't understand this "lack of presence" thing she hates so much. But I do get that she just puts up with so that she can keep her secret…well, a secret.

But…it does have me wondering, though.

"Akari…do you ever plan on telling the others?" I asked.

Akari went silent once again. This time, hanging her down in a mix of shame and sadness.

"To be honest, Sachiko…no. I don't. I never want to tell them. Any of them. Not even Rise."

 _Not even Rise? Wait, what does that mean?_

"I see. And you want me to do the same, right?"

"If you don't mind, I'd really appreciate it."

I sighed and then hugged Akari for a bit so that she could cheer up a little.

"Sure, Akari. You're secret's safe with me." I said.

" _ ***sigh***_ Thanks, Sachiko."

We both continued to look at the sky together for a bit. When one question came to mind.

"So, why do you come up here a lot?" I asked.

"Why? Look at this view. Doesn't it just relax your soul?"

"Well…I'm not sure about my soul. But it does feel relaxing." I said with a sweatdrop.

" _ ***giggle***_ Your reactions are just too funny, Sachiko."

"Whatever." I sounded insulted. "Let's get back already. I left the others arguing about their secrets and flaws."

"Oh, did you? I would've thought you would stay there and listen to it all."

"Well, I did learn that Chinastu has a crush on Yui and Ayano has one on Kyouko. Other than that, it was nothing new."

"I see. Well, okay. Let's go."

We both got up from the ledge and heading down the stairs from the roof back to the student council room. Where the others were waiting for us.

"Geez, there you two are! We've been looking everywhere for you both!" Yui said.

"Sorry." I said. "I went to find Akari and we ended up talking for a bit."

"I see."

"Are you feeling better now, Akari?" Chinastu asked.

"Yeah. I'm feeling better. That talk with Sachiko really made me feel better. Like all the stress left my body and soul. I feel so *********** relieved."

" **Akari!** " Yui, Chinastu, Ayano, and Himawari shouted. Kyouko and Sakurako broke down laughing. And Chitose was blushing hard, still in shock that Akari knows such a word.

I, on the other hand, didn't react like the others. Instead, I just turned around and went home. Not wanting to deal with this ******** anymore.

…

P-Pardon my language…

 **Final Thought:** _ ***sigh***_ **First Nana. Then Rise. And now Akari. Why does everyone have a deep secret within them? And furthermore, why do they trust me with keeping them a secret? Well, at least Rise and Akari do. Nana's a hard one to crack. But I'll find out hers someday.**

 **Anyway, thank you so much for reading along. I hope you come back soon. Bye now.**


	7. Yui's Pre-Summer Secret

**Chapter 7 – Yui's Pre-Summer Secret**

It's been a few days since Akari told me her secret. And since then, she hasn't said any curse words. So I guess she went back to hiding her true self once more.

I honestly feel bad for her. Having to live a lie in front of everyone. And from what she told me, she really enjoys her true personality. If only I could convince her to tell the others. That's easier said than done, though. Knowing how some of the others reacted to her saying the F word.

Right now, the five of us were in the clubroom once again. And Kyouko was rambling about random stuff that came to her mind. I try to keep up out of respect, but she just talks too fast. It's honestly hard to listen sometimes.

But then one thing she mentioned gained my attention.

"Hey, guys! We should all go somewhere for summer break!"

"Huh? Go somewhere? Somewhere like what?" Yui asked.

"It better not be another anime convention, Kyouko." Chinastu said.

"N-No! A-At least…not anymore…"

"So that was your plan all along?" Yui asked.

…

…

"N…No comment." Kyouko silently said while looking away from us.

" **Hey, everybody!** " Sakurako yelled as she suddenly opened the door without any kind of warning.

"Geez, I told you to knock. You didn't know if they were busy or something." Himawari said.

"Busy with what? They don't do anything."

"Hey!" Kyouko yelled.

"Why are you insulted? It's true." Yui said.

"Hello, everyone." Chitose greeted us as she, along with Ayano being dragged by her arm, came inside the clubroom.

"Wh-Why did we come here?" Ayano asked. "We've got work to do."

"Don't you remember, Ayano? We need to decide what to do this summer. And this time's special because Sachiko's here."

"W-Well, I guess. Have we thought of it yet?"

"Well, the beach is already out since Akari refuses to go." Chinastu said.

"What?! Don't tell me you're still upset about last time?!" Sakurako whined at Akari.

"Sakurako. Being left behind at the train station and no one bothering to come look for me isn't something I could just easily get over."

 _Well, geez. I don't blame you._

"Well, is there anywhere else we could go? Like someplace we've never gone?" I asked.

Everyone thought for a moment. Then they all looked at me with stares of excitement. And it was starting to get unnerving.

"Uh…what?"

"Sachiko…" Kyouko said. "… **Let's go to Hakone!** "

"H-Huh?! Y-You wanna go to Hakone?!"

"Sure, why not? It's a place none of us have been to before." Yui said.

"We could hike up Mt. Fuji and go by Lake Ashinoko. And then the onsen hot springs. There's so many, I don't know which one to go to." Ayano said.

"Plus, you said it yourself. It's really peaceful there." Chinastu added.

"Yeah, I did…"

 _They all seem really excited about this idea. I mean, I was shocked that they suggested it in the first place. But…this is a chance for me to go back home for a bit. As I am feeling kinda homesick._

"Well…I really don't mind…"

"Great! So you could plan everything!" Kyouko cheered.

"W-Wait, what?! Y-You want me to plan _**everything**_?!"

"Let me rephrase that." Ayano said. "You don't necessarily have to plan _**everything**_. Just stuff like where are the best places to go on certain days. You know, stuff like that."

"Well…I guess that sounds reasonable."

"Oh, by the way…you got one week to do it."

"Never mind. That's not reasonable at all." I was starting to get rather upset.

"Come on, Sachiko." Chinastu said. "If it helps, Akari and I could help you out."

"Yeah, I don't mind. Hakone sounds like a really fun place to go." Akari added.

 _They really want to go, huh?_

" _ ***sigh***_ Alright. I'll see what I could do." I gave in. cheers went around the room as the girls were excited that they would be going to Hakone for the summer. Even though I'm doing all the work.

"Well, I'm going home. I need to pick up something for dinner on the way there."

"Oh. Do you mind if I tag along, Sachiko?" Yui asked. "I need to head to the store myself."

"Sure. I'm fine with that."

" _Ooh! Whatcha cooking, Yui?_ " Kyouko asked as she tried to wrap around her. But ended up falling on the ground.

"Go get your own food."

" _Aw! But I'm too lazy!_ "

"That's your problem. Not mine."

" _Boo! Can't you cook for me, Sachiko?_ "

"Sorry, Kyouko. I'm not that much of a good cook." I said.

" _ ***whine***_ _But…_ "

"Goodbye. Kyouko." Yui said as she left through the door. Pulling my hand in the process.

" _Yui! You're so mean!_ "

 _It's really hard to believe that these two are childhood friends._

* * *

"Let's see. Instant ramen…no. Instant macaroni…no. Microwaveable sandwiches… _ ***sigh***_ no."

"What's wrong, Sachiko?" Yui asked.

"They're all out of the instant stuff. Now I can't eat dinner."

"Huh? Didn't you go food shopping at one point?"

"Well…yeah. But since I can't cook, it was mostly snacks and instant stuff. I did buy some meat one day. Though I haven't touched it since."

"It's gonna go bad if you don't use it soon. If you need dinner, then how's about I make you some?"

"Really? You'll do that?"

"Sure. I mean, we are friends. And neighbors for that matter."

"Yeah, that is true. Okay, I'm in. what do you plan on making?"

"Well, it depends on what type of meat you got. Which is it?"

…

…

"Sachiko?"

"Th…There are different types of meat?" I asked.

"What? You mean you never knew that?"

"I didn't pay attention to something as irrelevant as what the meat is. I just called it "meat" and ate the dang thing. Are there seriously different types?"

…

"W-Wow. You really do suck at cooking." Yui said after a moment of silence.

"H-Hey!"

 _It's true, yes. But she didn't have to say it like that!_

* * *

Once we arrived at the apartment building, I showed Yui what "type" of meat I had sitting in my freezer. She said that it was just simple chicken and that she could easily make some fried rice with it.

So then about 15 minutes or so, both of us were eating dinner at my place while watching whatever was on TV.

"W-Wow. I gotta admit, Yui. This is really good." I said.

" _ ***chuckle***_ It's like I say. Meat goes great with everything." Yui started praising herself.

"Well, I wouldn't say _everything_."

"You know now that I 've gotten a better look at it, your apartment's not that different from mine. You said this is a one-bedroom?"

"Yeah. Though, I'm still getting used to living in one. Back in Hakone, I lived in my parent's house. So the drastic change of size is rather a…huge change."

"You said your parents travel for work, right?"

"Yeah. And they decided that me being on my own wouldn't be right. At least in their minds. So my dad got in contact with Nishigaki and she agreed to look after me while I live here in Tokyo. So far, it's nice. Pretty fun, too."

…

"Though I wish they've would've at least given me a chance of being on my own. They sometimes worry too much."

"I… _see._ " Yui replied. Although she sounded a little sad all of a sudden. Was it something I said? Or did I talk too much? Either way, it doesn't sound good.

"Hey, Yui. You okay?" I asked her.

"Huh? O-Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Your parents sound really nice."

"Yeah. They really are."

" _You're honestly lucky._ "

"Lucky?"

"Gah! D-Did I…I-I didn't say that out loud, did I?!"

"Yeah. You did."

" _ ***sigh***_ Geez." Yui facepalmed.

"Yui. Is there something wrong? I mean with your parents?"

Yui went silent for a good while. Slowly getting sadder as each minute passed. Until finally, she decided to talk again.

" _ ***sigh***_ I-If I tell you, Sachiko…would you promise not to tell the others?"

 _Aw, geez. Another secret? What's it going to be this time?_

"Not tell the others?" I asked.

"I don't want them to know this. Especially Kyouko. It'll just hurt her deeply."

 _Hurt Kyouko deeply? Okay. Now I'm interested._

"Okay, Yui. I won't tell. You're secret's safe with me."

"Th-Thank you, Sachiko." Yui then took a deep breath before explaining this secret of hers.

"Y-You see, I…I-I said that you were lucky with your parents because…I-I don't really get along with mine."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I-In fact…I-I haven't really spoken to them since I started going to Nanamori."

"Wow. That long?"

"Our relationship had gotten bad. To the point of no return, even. All because…

…

…a-all because I...c-came out."

"Came out?" I was confused at first. Hearing those two words together like that. It sounded familiar. Like I should know this…

 _Wait a minute. I know what it is. I know it. But…_

…

 _Really?! Yui?!_

"Y-Yui. A-Are you saying…"

"Yes. I'm gay." Yui answered. I noticed that she had tears forming in her eyes. And they were about to run down her face soon the more we continue this (at this point) confession.

"I've known I was gay since the beginning of 7th grade. Though possibly, it could've been longer than that. And I hoped that my parents would be supportive of me discovering my true self."

"You _hoped_. But it didn't end that way, huh?"

…

"No. It didn't. Unfortunately." Yui said after another short moment of silence. "When I finally told them, they didn't take it as well as I hoped. My coming out confession soon turned into an argument. And then I…I said some things that I regret."

"Like what?"

…

"I said to them that they were self-centered a-holes that refused to accept change. And that they didn't care about their only daughter."

"Y…Yui…" I was shocked that Yui of all people said that to her parents. My first impression of her was a very polite, very mature type of girl. To think that she could get _**that**_ angry if her buttons are pushed enough…

 _I do_ _ **NOT**_ _want to get on her bad side. That's for sure._

"I know it was wrong of me. But at that moment, it felt right to say. My parents didn't think so, obviously. But to think that they would be so offended and angry that they would throw their daughter out of the house and into the streets."

Yui did one last huge sigh. This time, with the tears from her eyes finally running down her cheeks.

" _I guess they wanted nothing to do with a disrespectful homosexual child like me._ _ ***sniff***_ "

Yui finally then broke down crying. And I easily understood why as I hugged her for comfort. Having your parents kick you out of the house (at such a young age, mind you), basically disowning you because one, you know that you're gay. And two, you defend your true thoughts by talking back to them…

Unfortunately, I can't relate to her. Since I don't swing that way. But I am aware that this a common result of coming out nowadays. It hurts my heart that kids often deal with such rejection at a young age. And it sickens me that said rejection can come from their own family.

This world is truly messed up.

"Yui. I'm so sorry that happened to you." I said. "But…how did you get your own apartment to live in?"

" _A-About that. Soon after my parents threw me out, word quickly got around about my homosexuality. And my aunt came looking for me._ "

"Your aunt?"

" _Unlike my parents, she was willing to accept me for who I am. Although, she did tell me that she didn't like it as well. She then allowed me to live in one of these apartments rent-free. Though, she did give me one rule._ "

"What rule was that?"

" _D-Don't make much noise when you bring your lover over._ "

…

…

"O-Oh." I saw while blushing a little.

"Y-Yeah. I had the same reaction." Yui said while rubbing the back of her head.

"W-Well, that was nice of her. Didn't think your family owned this building."

"I don't normally bring this up much. Or at all, really. But my family's pretty wealthy. Owning a couple of buildings like this one all throughout the city."

"W-Wow. That's…interesting." I didn't know where I was going with that. So I just left it alone from there.

"Hey, Sachiko. Thanks for hearing me out. I know it was never intended for you to hear about my past, but…it's been something that's been building up inside me for a long time. It just needed to come out."

"No problem, Yui. I understand completely. And I promise I won't tell anyone we had this chat. Trust me."

Yui soon grew a smile on her face as she wiped the tears away from her face.

"Thank you, Sachiko."

"And besides. Being gay really does suit you." I added.

"Wait, what? What do you mean being gay _**suits**_ me?"

 _Uh oh. Didn't mean to say that out loud._

"W-Well…" I said while rubbing my head. "Y-You kinda…you kinda look like a boy, Yui."

" **What?! How do I look like a boy?!** " Yui undoubtedly felt insulted.

"Well…there's the boyish haircut, your deep-ish voice, that one time you and Kyouko came over you were wearing boyish clothes. It kinda makes sense. No shame in that, though."

"Yes, there's shame in that! I can't believe you think I look like a boy! I mean, I **HAVE** breasts! See?!" Yui then cupped her chest to prove that she did have breasts.

"I do see. But _**maybe**_ you could wear clothes that make them more, uh…visible."

"Tch!" Yui went silent again. I'm pretty sure I overstepped my boundaries with Yui and her lifestyle. But it's something that came to mind when I first met her.

 _Maybe that's why Chinastu's in love with her…_

"Wh-Whatever." Yui said as she folded her arms and looked away from me.

"Hey, I didn't mean to insult you. It kinda just slipped out."

"I get it, I get it. Let's just finish eating. You can keep the rest for leftovers tomorrow."

"Wow thanks, Yui. That's really kind of you."

"You're welcome."

"So which side of you makes you so polite? The gay side or the boyish side?"

Yui didn't answer. And instead reached over and finger flicked me in the forehead.

" **Ow!** "

"Jerk." Yui said. Ending with a light giggle.

 _Glad you find my pain enjoyable._

 **Final Thought: So now Yui makes it 4 secrets that I have to keep from the others. There may be a possibility that they know she's gay. In fact, I'm pretty sure all of them are gay at this point. I'm starting to see signs leading to that conclusion. But Yui's parents doing what they did. It's despicable...but all too common. And it's what they believe, too. So I can't change it their minds. Glad to see Yui bouncing back from all that, though.**

 **Also, don't tell her this. But I really do think she's a boy.**

 **Anyway. Thank you for reading along. I hope you come back soon. Bye now!**


	8. Sisterly Lovers

**Chapter 8 – Sisterly Lovers**

 _Aw, geez. I'm so lost…_

My first summer break in the city has begun. And thanks to a unanimous decision, I'm stuck with planning a trip to my hometown of Hakone. Thankfully, Akari and Chinastu had offered to help me out on this. Planning a trip isn't something one can do on their own.

And, in my case, neither is navigating your way through the big city for the first time.

" _ ***whine***_ _I'm so lost! Where do I go?!_ "

"Um…excuse me."

While I was complaining to myself, someone called out for me. And I turned around to see a young woman, probably in her early twenty's, with long pink hair and a very slim figure.

Although the more I look at her…she looks a lot like Chinastu.

"Sorry to both you. But are you lost?" The woman asked.

"Uh…y-yeah, I am. I'm trying to get to this address right here." I showed the woman the address I had on my phone. She then grew a small smile on her face and giggled a bit.

 _Aw, geez. Did I mess up?_

"Wow. You're heading to the Akaza residence? I'm on my way there myself. I could show you the way, if you want."

"W-Wow, really? Thank you. That would help a lot." I said with a sigh of relief. We then began walking through this big city. With me not too far behind her.

"So. Judging from your size, I bet you're one of Akari's friends, right? You seem like a new face, though."

"Yes. I'm Sachiko Ichiko. I recently moved here from Hakone and I go to… _uh, what was it called again?_ "

"Nanamori Middle School?" The woman asked.

"Yes, that. I go to Nanamori. It's where I met Akari."

"And by any chance, do you know a girl named Chinastu?"

"Yeah. I do actually…"

 _I guess I should just tell her._

"You know, you look a lot like her."

" _ ***giggle***_ Why, thank you. I do get that a lot. What with being her sister and all.

"Her sister?" I was a little confused.

"I'm Tomoko Yoshikawa. Chinastu's older sister."

"Her older sister…oh yeah, I remember. She did mention you during my first day. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Sachiko." Tomoko said with a smile.

* * *

Tomoko and I continued talking to each other as we both made our way to Akari's house. I swear, running into her was a huge life-saver. I've heard stories of people getting lost in the big city. And most of them don't end well.

 _Just thinking about it possibly happening makes me shiver…_

"Welp. Here we are." Tomoko said as we stood in front of what appears to be Akari's house.

"Thanks again for bringing me here. It really helped a lot."

"Just doing a good deed."

Tomoko went and knocked on the door and not long after it opened to reveal another young and slim woman. Only this one had long red hair and…

…looked a lot like Akari.

 _Could this be…_

"Tomoko, you made it. Who's your friend?" The woman asked.

"This is one of the girl's friends." Tomoko replied.

"H-Hello. I'm Sachiko Ichiko. Akari invited me here." I added.

"Oh? So _**your**_ Sachiko? Akari has told me so much about you. It's nice to see her getting more friends to hang out with."

"This is Akari's older sister. Akane Akaza." Tomoko said to me.

"Oh. I see now. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Sachiko." Akane said. "Akari should be with Chinastu upstairs. Her room is the third door on the right."

"Thank you. Pardon the intrusion."

As I went inside the Akaza house, I took a quick glance of the structure of the place. It looked pretty normal. And kinda big, too. My house back in Hakone was smaller than this. But then again, the apartment I'm living in now was roughly the same size as that. So maybe that's why I got used to it so quickly.

"Let's see…Akane said third door on the right…here it is!"

This was Akari's room, alright. I mean, it had a sign that said "Akari's Room" hanging on the door. So it was a real no brainer.

I knocked on the door and waited for a response. What I heard was some kind of…squealing.

 _Huh? That sounded odd. Could they be in trouble?_

After waiting a bit longer, I started getting worried. And I began opening the door.

What I saw on the other side was **NOT** something I was mentally prepared to see.

"Hey, guys. I heard a noise and…"

What I saw was Akari pinned down underneath Chinastu. Her face was bright red and nearly pale as Chinastu's face was near inches from hers.

Both were staring at me with looks of nervousness while I…

…

…

…

"…S-Sorry for interrupting." I said as I tried to close the door.

" **W-WAIT! S-SACHIKO! I-IT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!** " Chinastu shouted as she tried to prevent me from leaving.

* * *

 ***ONE EXPLANATION LATER…***

"Practice kissing?" I asked. Extremely confused on what this girl had told me.

"W-Well…s-someday I'm going to be with Yui as a lover. A-And I want to be good at kissing before then. S-So I do this with Akari every once in a while." Chinastu was blushing really hard from embarrassment that I walked in on one of their…"practice sessions".

"I see…"

…

…

"Couldn't you just use a pillow?"

"That's what I said!" Akari added.

" **No, I couldn't just** " **use a pillow** " **! It wouldn't have the same effect as the real deal!** "

"But kissing your best friend, though. It sounds kinda extreme."

"Plus, you took my first kiss, Chinastu. You don't know if I was saving that for someone." Akari said.

" _Oh, really now?_ " Chinastu turned to Akari with a smirk on her face. " _So who is it, Akari? Someone we know?_ "

"I-I said _**if**_. I-It doesn't mean it's true." Akari stuttered as her face turned red again.

 _I wonder…_

"Well, my point still stands. Kissing your best friend, who's also a girl, is a bit much for this "practice kissing" thing." I said.

" _ ***groan***_ You just don't get it, Sachiko." Chinastu complained.

 ***KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK***

"Come in." Akari said.

"Hey, Chinastu. Mom wants to talk to you." Tomoko said after opening the door.

"Coming." Chinastu said as she got up and followed her sister out of the room.

And once the door closed…

" _ ***sigh***_ _Jesus_ _ ***********_ _Christ._ "

 _Aw, geez…_

"Back to cursing, I see." I said to Akari, who had laid down on the floor with an exhausted look on her face.

"I can't help it, Sachiko. It's my true self."

"I know."

After the incident happened, something came up in my mind. A question of sorts.

"Hey, Akari. How did you and Chinastu become best friends? You said that you met each other last year, right?"

"Yeah. We did. Chinastu actually wanted to join the Tea Ceremony Club. But once she found out that the club disbanded, she decided to join our unofficial club. Pretty sure it was so that she could get closer to Yui. But then the two of us hung out more. And we became best friends."

"I see. So she comes her a lot?"

"Yeah. Both her and Tomoko. Both she and my sister Akane go to the same college. They quickly became a couple."

"Wait, a couple? You mean they're dating?"

"Well…that's what Chinastu and I think. They keep denying it every time we ask them. But it's getting more and more obvious."

"I see…"

 _Wow. I think I'm not that far off when believing that everyone here is gay._

"So the two of you are rather close, huh?" I asked.

"Hmm…you could say that. She comes over so much to the point where she could just live here. Not that I don't like it or anything. We usually enjoy our conversations."

Akari then went silent for a bit.

"Although…whenever she starts talking about Yui, I just tune her out. She can just go on and on about her if you let her. And honestly…it's so *********** creepy. It's pretty much like that whenever Chinastu decides to make…well anything, for that matter. Fair warning. If she gives you anything and says it "homemade", accept the gift. And then just throw it in the trash. You'll be better off."

"Th-Thanks. I-I'll keep a mental note." I said unnervingly.

"I'm back." Chinastu said as she came back into the room. "What were you two talking about?"

"Nothing much." Akari said. "Sachiko asked how we became best friends. Ended up bringing up Akane and Tomoko."

"I see. Oh, speaking of them…while I was talking to my mom, I saw those two cuddling up against each other. They're totally dating! I don't know why they keep denying it!"

"They're probably not ready to admit it yet."

"Yeah, I guess."

"So you're sisters are really dating each other, huh? Quite the strong bond here." I said.

"Oh, yeah. I just remembered something. Sorry if this seems personal, Sachiko, but…you're not gay, are you?" Chinastu asked me.

"No, I'm not. I like boys. So it was kind of a letdown at first when I found out that Nanamori is an all-girls school."

"I heard from Nishigaki that there was once a proposition to make the school co-ed. But the uproar from the students at the time caused it to get shot down almost immediately." Akari said.

"Huh. Well, that sucks."

"Don't worry, Sachiko. I'm sure you'll find a boy to love someday." Chinastu said.

" **Wh-Who said I was looking for one now?! I'm only 14!** " I yelled while blushing heavily.

" _Love has no age limit, Sachiko._ " Chinastu said with a cheeky smile. " _Same goes for you, Akari._ "

" **Wh-What?! Wh-Why are you bringing me into this?!** " Akari asked. Her face was exactly like mine at this point.

" _Oh don't try and hide it, Akari. I've been noticing how you act around Rise. It's_ _ **SO**_ _obvious._ "

" **Wh-What exactly is obvious?!** "

Chinastu didn't respond for a bit. Folding her arms while the smile on her face grew even cheekier.

" _Oh…it's nothing, you two._ _ ***giggle***_ " She then said.

 _A-Akari was right. Ch-Chinastu really is creepy._

 **Final Thought: Day 1 of my first city-based summer vacation and it starts out by being creeped out by Chinastu. That whole "practice kissing" thing sounds totally ridiculous. But…if she thinks it works, then it's not my right to stop her. I guess.**

 **I now have 6 more days until I go back to Hakone for a summer trip. I can't wait to go home and see everyone again. In a way, I'm glad the girls thought of this idea. I need to see home one last time before I could get used to the big city. A closer thing.**

 **Anyway, thank you for reading along. I hope you come back soon. Bye now!**

* * *

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_ **Just a quick note here. I actually have a question to ask. Are the cast's birthdays actually known? I want to use them as ways to tell certain story plots, but I have no idea what they are. I mean, I placed Akari's birthday in July based on another fic I read. But I don't even know if that's true or not. Just something that's been on my mind a little. If any of you know, just leave it as a review. Thanks in advance.**

 **Also, just want to say that the 3** **rd** **entry in the Inner Struggles series is currently in production. And like I said, it's about Ayano. Can't give out an official release date yet. But just know it's coming soon.**

 **And thus, ends the chapter for real this time. Later.**


	9. New Leaf

**Chapter 9 – New Leaf**

"Hi, Mom! Hi, Dad!"

" _Hello, Sweetie. How's life in the city going?_ " Mom asked.

"It's going good. The new school's pretty fun and I already made new friends."

" _That's great, Sweetie!_ "

" _See? Didn't I tell you that you'll like it there?_ " Dad asked.

"Alright, Dad. I admit. You were right."

" _So what are you doing now?_ "

"Nothing much. I'm at home right now. Kinda planning a trip at the moment."

" _A trip?_ " They both asked.

"Well…these new friends I got all want to go to Hakone for the summer. And since I'm from there, they left the planning to me."

" _I see. So have you decided on where to go?_ " Dad asked.

"Well, I got the basics out the way. A hike on Mt. Fuji, a visit to Lake Ashinoko, then the shrine, and of course there's the onsen hot springs. But after that, I got nothing."

" _I see. Well, you could go local._ "

"Go local?"

" _What your father means, sweetie…you could show them the neighborhood. Like our house and your school._ " Mom explained.

"Oh, yeah! I can do that! I still have the key to the house with me! And surprising my classmates at school would be the ultimate prank!"

" _Well, someone's excited._ "

"How can I not? I'm going home, aren't I?"

" _ ***giggle***_ _Yes, I suppose._ "

"Well, it was nice talking to you, dear." Dad said.

"Same here. I really miss you guy…" I was about to say goodbye to my parents. But then something from the past came back to me.

"A-Actually, Dad. C-Can I talk to you real quick? Just you and me?"

" _Well, then I guess I'll take my leave. Bye now, Sachiko._ " Mom said.

"Bye, Mom."

" _Anything wrong, dear?_ " Dad asked.

"Nothing wrong. It's just that I need to ask you something."

" _The answer is no._ "

"Uh…no?"

" _No as in…no you can't start dating any boys._ "

" **D-Dad! It's not that! I'm not even looking for someone to date yet!** " I yelled while having an extreme blush on my face.

" _Oh. I see now. Well then, what's the problem?_ "

"Well…it's with Nana. She told me you and her knew each other back in high school. But when I try to ask her more about it, she just changes the subject. Did something happen between you two?"

My father didn't give me a response.

"Dad?"

" _S-Sachiko. I-I'm sorry._ " Was all he said before hanging up on me.

"H-Hey! Dad! What do you mean you're sorry?! Dad!"

…

" _ ***sigh***_ Great. Now my own father is hiding secrets from me."

 ***KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK***

"Huh? Someone's here? I wasn't planning to have any visitors today."

I got up from my bed and headed for the front door. Still curious about who was there.

"Who is it?"

"It's me, Yui."

 _Yui? What's she doing here?_

I opened the door…

"Hey, Yu-whoa."

…and saw a surprise I didn't expect to see. From the looks of it, Yui was actually wearing feminine clothing. As in, clothes that a **GIRL** would wear. I didn't really expect her to show up at my front door wearing a black & grey off shoulder shirt and some capri jeans. So something must've happened.

"Wh-What? I-Is it too much?" Yui asked.

"No, it's fine. In fact, it looks amazing on you, Yui. I'm shocked that you took my advice."

"W-Well after giving it some thought, you were…k-kinda right about me looking too much like a boy. So I…decided to change it up a bit. And I went and bought some clothes that girls nowadays would usually wear. D-Does it really looked good on me?"

"Yeah, it really looks great on you. It brings out your figure more and your breasts are actually visible."

" **A-Again with my breasts?!** " Yui started to blush.

"Hey, you brought it up the first time. Not me."

"Wh-Whatever. This actually isn't why I came over."

"It isn't?"

"Kyouko blew up my phone a few minutes ago saying that she wants to get everyone together and spend the day doing stuff."

"Stuff? Stuff like what?"

"Knowing Kyouko, it could mean anything."

"I-I see…" I said with a sweatdrop.

"Anyway, she wanted me to ask if you wanted to come."

"Really? I'm still planning this trip to Hakone for you guys."

"Didn't Akari and Chinastu said they'll help you?"

"Yeah, they did. But it ended up turning into Chinastu explaining to us why she doesn't want to kiss a pillow."

"What?"

"I don't get it either."

"I-I see. W-Well how far did you get?"

"I got all the destinations taken care of. I just need to find us a place to stay."

 _Well, a place for you to stay. I'm going to my house._

"Don't worry about that. We'll come up with hotel money ourselves."

"I see. So I guess that means I'm done then. Just let me change and I'll meet you downstairs."

"Alright."

Once I closed the door, I went and changed into an outfit that was kinda similar to Yui's. Only it was white & orange and I was wearing orange shorts to go with it. I also have on these orange & white sneakers that I haven't worn in a while. Surprisingly, they still fit.

"I'm ready." I said to Yui as I met up with her downstairs.

"W-Wow."

"What?"

"Nothing, it's just…the way you dress really does prove that you're from the country, Sachiko."

"C-Come on. There's no way I stick out _**that**_ much, do I?"

"Maybe you need to dress more city girl-like."

"That ain't happening, sugar. I'm a keeping my country style. _Yee-ha!_ " I said in a country-styled accent.

"That's the wrong country-style."

"I know. I just wanted to say that."

Yui then started laughing at this goofiness side of me that I haven't revealed since moving to the city.

"You're a weird girl, Sachiko."

* * *

The two of us walked through the city streets (and by "walked" I mean Yui had to guide me around. I still don't know my way through this place) to meet up with the others, who were waiting at a certain spot at a nearby plaza area.

"So what exactly is a…plaza?" I asked.

"It's a place where people meet up with others or relax by themselves. There's usually stores, restaurants, and entertainment all over. So it gives people lots to do."

"Wow. So I guess that's why Kyouko wanted to meet up here."

"Yeah, I guess. But like I said. With her, it could mean anything. Good or bad."

"What exactly did she make you guys do?"

"The list is **WAY** too long for me to explain, Sachiko."

 _That does not sound good._

"Look, there they are. Hey!"

" _ **Yui**_ -wow…" Both Kyouko and Chinastu were about to…I don't really know with Yui when they noticed the outfit she was wearing.

"Y-Yui, you…" Kyouko said.

"Y-You look really…c-cute." Chinastu added.

"R-Really? Do I?"

"Never thought I'd see you wearing clothes like that." Akari said.

"W-Well…Sachiko said that I kinda looked like a boy before. So I thought I could make myself look more…feminine. In a way."

"Well, it does fit you well." Ayano said.

"You look really nice, Yui." Chitose said.

"Wait. Yui's not a boy?" Sakurako asked.

" **H-Huh?!** " Yui yelled in shock.

"You seriously thought Yui was a boy?" Himawari asked.

"Well, technically no. I thought she was a crossdresser."

" **Cr-Crossdresser?!** " Yui then went silent as she dropped her head to the ground.

" _I'm…more boyish than I thought._ " She said in a sad tone.

 _Yui…_

"Nothing wrong with being a crossdresser. Nobody's really here to judge. I mean we could go as 8 lesbos and a crossdresser."

"Sakurako. I'm straight." I said.

"Really? Wow, two bombshells. Well, it could still work. 7 lesbos, a crossdresser, and a straight girl will get all the attention."

"Will you just shut up already?" Himawari said to her.

"It's okay, Yui. You look like a girl to me." Kyouko said.

"R-Really?"

"Yeah. _Especially with those breasts of yours._ "

" _They're big._ " Chinastu said.

" _Way bigger than ours._ " Akari added.

" **Seriously?! Why is everyone pointing out my breasts?!** "

"They're probably jealous." I said.

"And of course you would say that, Sachiko." Ayano said to me.

"Huh? Why's that?"

" _Seriously?_ "

Then her, Kyouko, Chinastu, Akari, Chitose, and Sakurako began staring at me. Well…more like a certain spot on me. It didn't take long for me to guess where.

And honestly…it got me curious.

"Wait, are you guys flat-chested?"

" **Don't say it so nonchalantly!** " They all yelled. With bright-red blushes covering their faces.

"In other words, yes." Himawari said.

"It's rather sad, honestly." Yui added.

"I see now." I said with a smile.

" _ **Grr…**_ You three are having way too much fun with this."

"Well, what can we say?" The three of us said together. "We don't have itty-bitty-titties."

" **GAAAAAH!** " The others screamed with rage.

 _ ***giggle***_ _This is kinda fun._

"Look, can we just go now?" Ayano asked. Still very agitated about the insult.

"Where to?" Yui asked.

"Karaoke! We're gonna sing till we drop!" Kyouko cheered.

"That sounds like fun." Chitose said.

"Aside from the "till we drop" part." Chinastu said.

"Hey, Sachiko. You look rather confused." Akari said to me.

" _Well…hehheh._ "

"Let me guess. You don't know what karaoke is, do you?"

…

"N-No. I don't" I said after a short silence.

"Geez. Does the country have **ANYTHING** to do?" Sakurako asked.

"Of course, there's stuff to do. Granted, you kinda have to be creative with it. But there definitely is stuff to do there."

" _Creative?_ " Everyone asked.

"L-Look, I got used to it, okay? You'll see for yourselves once you go there."

"Fine, fine." Kyouko said. "Let's go!" She then started running in a different direction from where Yui and I came from.

"H-Hey! Sl-Slow down, Toshinio Kyouko!" Ayano yelled as she ran after her. With the rest of us soon following them.

With someone guiding me, of course.

 **Final Thought: Yui changing her appearance was rather shocking to me. I never had such an influence on someone before. Especially not with any of my friends back home. If this keeps up, I could rub it in their faces when I surprise them at school. It'll be perfect.**

 **So we're doing karaoke next, huh? Not really sure what that is. But the others say that it's fun. So I guess I'll give it a shot.**

 **Thank you for reading along. I hope you come back soon. Bye now, y'all!** _ **Yeehaw!**_

…

 **I know it's the wrong country-style. I just really like it.**


	10. Karaoke Chaos

**Chapter 10 – Karaoke Chaos**

So a little way down the road, we reached this building in the middle of this plaza place. It looked really old. Old but redone a lot to make it as new as the other buildings here. It was quite a sight.

"So this is…?" I asked.

"A karaoke bar. This is where you go to do karaoke." Yui explained.

"So there's a placed you could go if you just want to sing? Man, the city has it all, doesn't it?"

"Yep, it sure does. Country girl."

"I'm taking that as a compliment." I said with a smile.

"You should. It suits you well." Yui said. Returning the smile.

"Ha!"

"You two seem to be getting along well." Ayano said.

"Like you're best friends or something." Chitose added.

" _Well…_ I guess it's a "being neighbors" thing. Right, Yui?"

" _ ***chuckle***_ _Yeah…_ it could be."

" _Let's just hope it stays that way._ "

"Huh?"

"Nothing. Let's go."

 _I could've sworn I heard Chinastu and Kyouko say something. Maybe I'm hearing things?_

We soon went inside and had to "reserve a spot" (kinda odd, if you ask me). And once a room big enough for us opened up, we went inside that.

" _Woah_ …these chairs are so soft. It's like I can bounce on them!"

"We're in a karaoke bar, and you're more amazed by the chairs?" Himawari asked me.

"Well, I never sat in one this soft. Not including the beanbag chair l left back in Hakone. _Ooh…_ and these lights. Very disco-y."

"Everything seems to amaze you doesn't it, Sachiko?" Ayano asked.

"Well, everything city-like. So…yes."

"Alright, girls!" Kyouko cheered over the mic. "Let's get this karaoke party underway!"

"Calm down." Yui said.

"And as club president, I'll go first!"

 _Club president?_

"Hey, if a club is unofficial…can it really have a president?" I asked Akari, who was sitting next to me.

"It shouldn't. But with Kyouko, it's somehow a thing."

"I see."

" _I can hear you two, you know._ " Kyouko said sounding a little insulted.

"S-Sorry."

"Just pick a song already, Toshinio Kyouko." Ayano said.

"Alright, alright." Kyouko then looked through this machine-type thing to find a song to play. " _Ooh. This one looks nice._ "

The song started playing and a few seconds after, Kyouko started to sing.

 _(Quick Note: This song is in Japanese.)_

As Kyouko was singing, I was lost by what song this is. It wasn't like any other songs I've heard before. It must be exclusive to the city. Cause there's a hint of pop music in here.

" _And…_ **DONE!** " Kyouko finished singing.

"Of course, you chose _**that**_ song." Yui said.

" _Aw, Yui. You noticed._ "

"How can I not? I hear it every day thanks to you."

"Wasn't that…"

"Right you are, Ayano-sama! That was the opening theme song to the Mirakurun anime!"

" _ **Ugh!**_ _That show?_ " Chinastu complained.

"Don't tell me you're still mad, my little China-chan."

"Yes, I am still mad. And quit calling me China-chan!"

"What happened?" I asked.

"Yui, Kyouko, and I made Chinastu wear a Mirakurun outfit to entertain Yui's cousin." Akari explained. "Mainly because she looks like her."

"Really?" I then looked at Chinastu.

"You don't see it?"

"Well, maybe I would…if I knew who Mirakurun was."

" **GAAAAAAAA** _ **hahaha…**_ " We all watched as Kyouko fell to the ground in angst.

" _S-Sachiko…you're killing me._ "

"Aw, grow up." Yui, Chinastu, and Ayano all said together.

"So, who's next?" Chitose asked.

"I guess I'll go." Yui said as she stood up and headed for the mini-stage.

" **Alright! Go, Yui-senpai!** " Chinastu cheered.

 _Senpai?_

Yui looked through this machine-type thing to find a song to play. Once she did, the song began to play and she sang along with the words appearing in front of her.

* * *

 _toridori no irotachi ga_ _tsumugu honō no rasen_

 _hateshi naku tsudzuite ku_ _haruka kara uketsuida hikari_

 _sora ga ochita ano hi_ _me ni shita no wa_

 _kuchi ru myōjō ka tsukinai yoiyami ka_

 _towa ni tsudzuku yōna_ _shijima no naka_

 _musū no tamashī ga hono kana kodō wo utsu_

 _inochi no tomoshibi_ _subete no hitotachi_

 _fukinukete yuku kaze ni mi wo yudaneta mama_

 _ikerumono ga_ _kasukana hikari wo hanachi kieru_

 _yūkyū no toki no naka kakeru sadame to kizuna_

 _toridori no irotachi ga_ _tsumugu honō no rasen_

 _hateshi naku tsudzuite ku_ _haruka kara uketsuida hikari_

 _meguru inga no naka_ _ikiga mebuki_

 _arata naru inochi ga tsutsumu kono daichi de_

 _tatakai_ _majiwaru_ _subete no hitotachi_

 _tachiagari fumidashite asu e susumiyuku_

 _ikerumono ga_ _kasukana hikari de orinasu hoshi_

 _yūkyū no kanata made tamashi-tachi wa utau_

 _toridori no irotachi ga_ _tsumugu honō no rasen_

 _hateshi naku tsudzuite ku_ _doko ma demo nagare yuku hikari_

 _ikerumono ga_ _kasukana hikari de orinasu hoshi_

 _yūkyū no kanata made tamashi-tachi wa utau_

 _toridori no irotachi ga_ _tsumugu honō no rasen_

 _hateshi naku tsudzuite ku_ _doko ma demo nagare yuku hikari_

* * *

"W-Woah! Yui! I-I didn't know you could sing like that!" Kyouko shouted.

"Was it really that good?"

" _ **Good?!**_ **That was AMAZING, Yui-senpai! I think I died and went to heaven! Multiple times!** " Chinastu shouted with excitement.

"I gotta admit, Yui. That was really good." Ayano said.

"It really took me by surprise that you can sing." Chitose said.

"Was was that song, anyway?" Himawari asked.

"Uh…just some song I heard recently. No big deal."

" _No big deal?_ " Akari and I said to each other. As we knew what that song was.

And I'm pretty sure Yui knows it, too.

"Well, then." Sakurako said as she stood up from her spot. "If you guys were impressed by Yui's singing, then your minds will be blown away by mine!"

"Really now?" Himawari asked.

"Yep! And to prove it, I'm gonna sing in English too!"

"Can you even speak English?" I asked.

"Surprisingly, she can." Himawari said to me.

"In fact, she's fluent in English." Akari added.

" _Really?!_ " I was shocked to hear such a thing.

" _Hahaha._ Amazed already, Sachiko? Well, sit back! Cause I'm about to amaze you even more!"

"Alright, Sakurako. I'm listening."

"Alright! Uh… **this song!** " Sakurako cheered as her song of choice began playing.

* * *

 _Hey girl_

 _I got somethin' real important to give you_

 _So just sit down and listen_

 _Girl you know we've been together such a long long time_

 _And now I'm ready to lay it on the line_

 _Wow, you know it's Christmas and my heart is open wide_

 _Gonna give you something so you know what's on my mind_

 _A gift real special, so take off the top_

 _Take a look inside it's my **** in a box_

* * *

 ***INSERT MULTIPLE SPITTAKES AND FOOD CHOKINGS HERE***

" **WOAH, WOAH, WOAH! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SINGING?!** " Himawari shouted. Her face was bright red from the word Sakurako had just said without a care in the world.

"A song."

" **WHAT THE HELL KIND OF SONG IS THAT?!** " Ayano shouted. Her face the exact same way as Himawari's.

"It's an American song I heard on the internet recently. It's really catchy if you would listen to the whole thing."

" **Like hell, we're doing that! Give me the mic!** "

" **Hey lay off, Boob-chan! It's my turn!** "

"Sakurako, there is no way you are singing the rest of that song! Now hand over the mic!" Ayano yelled as she joined Himawari on stage to get the microphone away from Sakurako.

" **H-Hey! Let go! Guys! Help me out here!** "

The rest of us were still in too much shock to do much of anything. So we just sat there and watch with bright red blushes on our faces.

Well…most of us, anyway.

" _ ***giggle* *chuckle* *giggle***_ "

"Akari. What's with you?" I asked her.

" _N-Nothing…_ _ ***giggle***_ _S-Sachiko_ _ ***chuckle***_ _. I-It's just…_ _ ***pfft* Hahaha!**_ "

It was weird how Akari was laughing like that while some were too uncomfortable to even move a muscle. I then remember why we're acting this way in the first place. And it got me wondering.

"Akari…can we talk outside?" I asked her.

" _S-S-Sure…S-Sachiko. Let's_ _***giggle***_ _go_ _ **Ah-haha!**_ "

" _ ***sigh***_ "

I grabbed Akari by the arm and we left the room while everyone was either unable to move or arguing with Sakurako.

 _Karaoke's crazier than I thought…_

* * *

" **BWAHAHAHAHA! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! SHE ACTUALLY SAID THE WORD! THANK YOU, SAKURAKO! YOU'VE MADE MY ******* DAY!** " Akari shouted with laughter as she finally broke down once we were far enough from the room.

" _ ***sigh***_ I knew it! You do know that song!"

"Yeah. I do. It's one of my all-time favorite songs. I listen to it whenever I'm alone anywhere. I even have it on my phone. Wanna hear the whole song?"

"No, Akari. I don't want to hear the whole song."

"Your lost."

"Does that song really exists in America?"

"Yep. It first appeared on a late-night comedy show performed by two comedians. The song was a hit. Which caused them to make even more songs. Like _I Just Had ***, **** in My Pants,_ and _3-way._ All like the one Sakurako just sang."

 _Why are Americans so dirty-minded?_

"Akari. You really are a pervert." I said with a facepalm. "You better not say these types of words when we go to Hakone next week. Got it?"

" _Aw! Can I at least say ****?_ "

"No, you can't say ****." I said. Not paying any attention to the curse word that I just repeated.

" _Aw, ****. You're so ******* mean, Sachiko._ "

" **AKARI!** "

"Geez, it was just a joke. You didn't have to get that angry."

"Akari…that wasn't me."

" **It was me!** "

We both turned around to see a very pissed-off Chinastu standing in the corner hallway. I guess is that she heard our conversation. Which means…

She just heard Akari curse up a storm.

 _Aw, geez. Why me?_

"Ch-Chinastu?! Wh-What are you doing here?!" Akari asked in a panicked state.

" **Never mind that! I can't believe you, Akari! I thought you were done with the cursing!** "

" _I-I…w-well…_ "

"Chinastu. I can explain." I said.

" **Oh, I'm sure you can, Sachiko! You just cursed yourself!** "

 _How long was she listening to us?!_

"Chinastu, listen. There's a very good reason why Akari's still cursing."

" **How can there be a good reason to curse?!** "

I looked over to Akari, who even though she looked like she was about to cry, gave me a simple nod. Allowing me to tell Chinastu her secret that she originally planned to never tell. Then I looked back at Chinastu with the utmost serious look on my face.

 _Here I go…_

"Chinastu. The truth is…Akari's a pervert."

"H-Huh?" Chinastu was confused.

" **Hey!** " Akari was insulted.

"What? It's true."

" **Yeah, but you didn't have to say it like that, you ***!** "

"Akari…" Chinastu said.

" _ ***sigh***_ Chinastu. The truth is…I normally curse like this."

" **H-Huh?! Th-This is normal?!** "

"W-Well, what I mean is…I'm not all "innocent & pure" as people usually see me. I'm actually the exact opposite. Not only do I curse a lot, but I also love dirty jokes. And often make some of them myself. I've kept this hidden from everyone because…because I feared that you and the others would stop being my friend if you found out that I'm not "the girl with no presence". So when I first cursed in front of you guys, I lied. And said it was due to stress. I then told Sachiko the truth later on."

Chinastu's face was beyond shock at this point. To think that her best friend of nearly 2 years was hiding her true personality from her…it must've been a real eye-opener for her.

"A-Akari. I-I don't know what to say…"

"Yeah. Well, I do. I hate this fake personality of mine. I want to be my true self. I love being a pervert. And if you can't accept that, Chinastu, then we can't be friends anymore. And I mean every ************* word."

"That last curse word was unnecessary." I said.

"Shut it."

"Akari…" Chinastu said. With sheds of tears running down her face. She then hugged Akari with a great amount of force as she continued to cry.

" _Akari. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you take on that "no presence" personality. If you being a pervert is who you really are, then I'll support it. I rather have a perverted best-friend than no friend at all. Can you forgive me for how I've treated you? Please?_ "

"Ch-Chinastu…" Akari took a moment to reel this all in. "Of course, I can forgive you. I like being your best friend, too. But can you keep this a secret? Between the three of us?"

"S-Sure, Akari. I can keep a secret. Your perverted thoughts are safe with me."

"And me, too." I added.

" _ ***sniff***_ Thanks, you guys." Akari grew a big smile on her face.

"But now I'm curious. Just how perverted are you, Akari? Are you like Kyouko-perverted or Chitose-perverted?" Chinastu asked.

"Well, if I have to put it on a scale…I'm more perverted than Kyouko but **WAY** less than Chitose. That girl's fantasies are just plain weird."

"Yeah. _**Really**_ weird."

"Uh…just how weird are Chitose's fantasies?" I asked.

"You do **NOT** want to know." Both girls responded.

 _Ew._

"Anyway, let's head back now. Pretty sure everyone's wondering where we are." I said.

"Hopefully, they got Sakurako to stop singing that song." Chinastu said.

" _Aw. But I actually wanted to hear her sing the rest of it._ " Akari said.

"Huh?"

"That song is one of her favorites." I explained.

" _ ***sigh***_ " Chinastu facepalmed. "Akari, you perv." She said with a small smile. Which made Akari laugh a bit.

* * *

The three of us went back to the room with the others. Where everyone was eating the food we order (expect Sakurako. Who's mouth was taped up shut and hands were tied behind her back).

I honestly feel sorry for her. She just wanted to impress me.

"There you guys are. Where'd you go?" Yui asked.

"Uh…bathroom. We went to the bathroom." Us three said together.

"I see…"

"Well, as you can see…we got Sakurako tamed up." Ayano said while pointing to her.

" ***muffled yelling*** "

"Hey, pipe down." Himawari said. "You had your chance and you blew it. So just sit there and watch."

" ***muffled whine*** "

"Well, then let's get back to singing!" Kyouko cheered. "You three are next!"

"H-Huh?!" Chinastu reacted.

"Y-You mean all three of us at the same time?!" Akari asked.

"I-I'm not that good of a singer." I said.

"Come on! You can't be that bad. I mean, you can't get any worse than Sakurako."

" ***muffled yelling*** "

"She does have a point." Chinastu said. "What do you guys think?"

"I'll do it." Akari said. "What about you, Sachiko?"

"I guess it couldn't hurt. This karaoke thing looks rather fun, to be honest."

"Great! Get on stage, you three!" Kyouko yelled as the others cheered us on.

"So, how does this machine work?" I asked the other two girls.

"You just use your finger to select a song and it'll play once you press it." Chinastu explained.

"I see. Uh…how about this one?"

"That could work. You ready, guys?"

"Yep."

"I'm ready." Akari added.

The song began to play as we each got ready to start singing.

* * *

 _EVERYBODY RING DONG DANG_

 _Mayowazu JUMP JUMP UP_

 _Mune no hokori kazashite Hey_

 _RING RING RING THE BELL_

 _RING RING DONG DANG (oh oh oh)_

 _RING RING RING THE BELL_

 _RING RING DONG DANG (oh oh oh)_

 _Urayamashii nante tsubuyaite iru_

 _Kokoro kumori no hi mo_

 _Asu wa mou chikazuite kiteru_

 _Mirai hirogatte iru_

 _BEGIN namida mo kirari_

 _Mirai ame sae mikata egao misete mite_

 _EVERYBODY RING DONG DANG_

 _Mayowazu JUMP JUMP UP_

 _Narasou yume no kakera wo_

 _Everybody CLAP YOUR HANDS_

 _Sunao ni LOOK LOOK UP_

 _Kimi no oto ni kasanete_

 _Hibike kagayaku FUTURE FUTURE Hey_

 _Modokashii nante omoikonde_

 _Kokoro hitotsu dake de_

 _Asu no iro some kaete yukeru_

 _Mirai hajimatte iru_

 _BEGIN namida wa tsuyosa_

 _Mirai kasa sae sasazu niji wo kakete mite_

 _EVERYBODY RING DONG DANG_

 _Dare yori JUMP JUMP UP_

 _Egakou yume no CANVAS_

 _Everybody FEEL FEEL SO_

 _Issho ni LOOK LOOK UP_

 _Kimi no koe ga kikoeru_

 _Nan demo kanau yo FUTURE FUTURE Hey_

 _Kao agete TODAY_

 _Hajimari no ippo_

 _TODAY jibun wo shinji_

 _Fumidashite miyou_

 _Subete wa out to me_

 _EVERYBODY RING DONG DANG_

 _Mayowazu JUMP JUMP UP_

 _Narasou yume no kakera wo_

 _Everybody CLAP YOUR HANDS_

 _Sunao ni LOOK LOOK UP_

 _Kimi no oto ni_

 _EVERYBODY RING DONG DANG_

 _Habatake JUMP JUMP UP_

 _Todoku yume no chikara wa_

 _Everybody MAKE YOUR WISH_

 _Misete yo LOOK LOOK UP_

 _kimi to hohaba awasete_

 _takanaru kodou FUTURE FUTURE_

 _Motto ookina FUTURE FUTURE Hey_

 _RING RING RING THE BELL_

 _RING RING DONG DANG (oh oh oh)_

 _RING RING RING THE BELL_

 _RING RING DONG DANG (oh oh oh)_

* * *

"Woah. You three were so good. And yet, said you weren't that good of a singer, Sachiko." Chitose said.

"To be honest, I'm a little shocked myself."

"That was really amazing, you three. I'm impressed." Ayano said.

"Yeah, it was. But of course, it wasn't as amazing as my singing." Kyouko said.

"Or mine! I freaking sang in English, for crying out loud!" Sakurako yelled.

"How did you break out of your restraints?!" Himawari asked in shock.

"Aw, never you mind."

 ***KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK***

"Hey, girls. Your time is up." Said one of the employees as he entered the room.

"Oh. Thank you." Ayano said.

"Oh. And…one more thing. We hold a contest each month to see which customers had the best singing voice. And this month's winner just happened to be in this room."

"Really?!" We all yelled.

"Ooh! Ooh! I bet it's me! I demonstrated my voice so that everyone could follow the example!" Kyouko yelled.

"No way! It has to be me! I was the most creative with my song choice!" Sakurako yelled.

"I doubt it was any of us." I said to Akari and Chinastu.

"Come on, Sachiko. Keep your hopes up." Chinastu said.

"Uh…let's see. The winner is…Yui Funami."

" **WHAT?!** " Kyouko and Sakurako shouted.

"M-Me?!" Yui yelled out.

"Your voice was so good, it was a unanimous decision. You're the top favorite so far this year."

"T-Top favorite? W-W-Wow." Yui started to blush a little while gaining a small smile. I guess she really didn't expect to win such a contest.

"A-And what about us?" Sakurako asked.

"Yeah, how did we do?" Kyouko asked.

"Oh, right. You two. You both actually got tied…"

"Tied, huh?"

"I can go with that."

"…for dead last."

" **WHAT?! DEAD LAST?!** "

The rest of us laughed at the two losers for a bit. Then went to focus on the star of the show.

"Congratulations, Yui. You deserved it." Akari said.

"You were definitely better than me." I added.

"You really do have a nice singing voice, Yui." Ayano said.

"Agreed." Himawari and Chitose sided with her.

"Th-Thank you…everyone. Th-This really means a lot." Yui stuttered as she continued to blush.

As everyone (expect Kyouko and Sakurako, who were still upset with their tied ranking) continued to congratulate her, Yui turned to me and her smile grew even more. And I gotta admit, it made me feel happy too.

 _She looks really happy. In fact, she seemed a lot happier ever since she told me her secret. And she's even stepping out of her comfort zone a little. I could say that she and Akari look happier now than the day I met them._

…

 _Although with Akari…it's going to be one huge bumpy trip straight down to hell._

 _I just know it._

 **Final Thought:**

 _Christmas, **** in a box!_

 _Hanukkah, **** in a box!_

 _Kwanzaa, a **** in a box!_

 _Every single holiday a **** in a box!_

Will you shut up, Akari?! I'm trying to end the chapter!

Oops. Sorry, Sachiko. It's just a really good song. You _**sure**_ you don't want to hear the whole thing?

Positive.

Your lost, Sachiko.

 _ ***sigh***_ Anyway…my first time singing karaoke went better than I thought it would. Yui looked like she really got a confidence boosts. And Akari & Chinastu's friendship got better, too. I-I think.

What do you mean "you think"?

N-Nothing, Akari. Just say bye to the readers.

Bye, everybody reading this story! I hope you had as much ***** and giggles as I did today! See you next time, you sons of *******!

Bringing you here was a mistake.

You wanna know what else was a mistake? Me not writing down this dirty joke I thought of while Kyouko was singing. It was so ******* funny. You see, it starts out with this one guy…

O-Okay, everybody! Thank you so much for reading along. I hope you come back soon. Bye now! _Come on, you._

Huh? But I didn't get to the good part.

I don't care. Walk.

Bye, everyone. Have a good ******* day. Or night.

 _ ***sigh***_

I'm so sorry…

SONGS USED (IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE):

Life's Light/Lifelight – Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

D*ick in a Box – The Lonely Island

Ring! Dong! Dang!/Ring a Ding - Style Savvy: Styling Star


	11. Secret Sweethearts & Swimsuit Scammers

**Chapter 11 – Secret Sweethearts & Swimsuit Scammers **

" **W-Wait, huh?! Y-You want us to go to Hakone with you?!** "

This was yelled out by Nana. As she and Rise were visiting my apartment today and I had just told them about the trip. And offered them to join us.

"Aw come on, Nana. You did say that you haven't been to Hakone in 20 years. Wouldn't it be great to go back home after so long?"

"W-Well…you're not wrong about that. But my version of Hakone and your version of Hakone are two very different versions. What changed while I was gone?"

"Girl, you know I can't answer that. You gotta come and figure that out yourself."

"B-But…"

" _Quit being a baby already. You know you want to go._ " Rise said.

"Y-Yeah, I do. Obviously. B-But I…I can't."

"This is about my dad, isn't it?" I asked.

" _Well…_ "

" _ ***sigh***_ Look, Nana. I'm tired of this secret or yours. Ever since we've met, you've been dodging questions that involve my dad in any shape or form. And I even asked Dad about it and he's doing the same thing. Now I want to know what's with you two. And if you still can't do that, then get out of my apartment."

I know it sounded harsh, but I meant every word. I want this secret to be put behind me so that I won't have to worry about it anymore. It's annoying the heck outta me.

And from the look on Nana's face, it's hurting her more than it is me.

" _ ***sigh***_ Fine. I'll tell you."

" **FINALLY!** "

" _ **FINALLY!**_ "

"What?! You knew too?!" Nana asked Rise.

" _We're best friends. We tell each other everything._ "

"Now spit it out." I said.

" _ **Ugh!**_ Fine! But both of you better not tell anyone! I get serious when it comes to secrets. _Especially my own._ "

"We promise."

" _We promise._ "

Nana took a few (scratch that. **A LOT** of) deep breaths and sighed a couple times before finally explaining this secret she and my dad have been keeping from me. It should be good. Since it's been kept hidden for over two decades.

But I can honestly tell you, I was not expecting the secret to be this:

"L-Look, Sachiko. Th-The truth is…y-your father and I…u-used to date."

"Huh…"

…

…

…

" **WHAT?! Y-Y-YOU?! A-A-AND DAD?! A-A C-C-COUPLE?!** "

" _Wow. You and Sachiko's dad? So you're straight?_ " Rise asked.

"Yes, I'm straight. Why is that a shock to you?"

" _Well, when you think about it…not only do you often hang out with a lesbian high schooler, but also 7 lesbian middle schoolers and a crossdresser._ "

"Yui's a girl, you know."

…

" _Wait, really?_ "

" **GUYS!** " I shouted." **WE'RE LOSING FOCUS HERE! NANA, YOU USED TO DATE MY DAD?!** "

" _ ***sigh***_ Yeah. It happened. Around the time I first met him, actually. Sure, we were friends. But we became more than that rather fast. It was honestly the best 2 years of my life."

"Just 2?"

"When I graduated high school and came here for college, it was rather hard for us to stay together. So we broke up. both of us were really heartbroken by that decision. But we eventually moved on."

I then saw Nana shed a tear.

" _Your father more-so than me._ "

"Huh?"

" _Wh-When I went back to Hakone for his graduation ceremony, he already had a new girlfriend. A.K.A. your mom. She and I are also friends, but that's all she knows. And to this day, she still doesn't know that we used to date. And it's been this way for twenty long years._ "

"W-Wow. Nana…"

" _Th-That's horrible._ " Rise said.

" _Yeah. It is. That's why I found it kinda odd that after that long of not speaking to each other, he called and asked if I could watch over you while you live here. But at the same time, it made me happy._

…

 _Happy that I was able to hear his voice again._ "

Seeing Nana like this…all depressed and heartbroken. And even shedding a few tears. This is **NOTHING** like how she was on my first day. She may portray herself as an explosive-loving woman who is (somehow) a science teacher, but really…she's just like every other woman.

One who just wants someone to love and to love her back.

"N-Nana…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have forced you to reveal something so personal to you. It's just…it involved my dad so…"

"No, I understand. You were just concerned, that's all. I honestly thought I could keep this under lock and key. But you kept on pushing. Just like your father. It's insane how you're a lot like him."

" _ ***giggle***_ Yeah, I get that a lot."

" _So does this mean you're coming along?_ " Rise asked.

" _ ***sigh***_ Yeah, fine. I'll come along with you guys."

" **YES!** " I cheered as I gave Rise a high-five. "Trust me, Nana! The memories are just gonna flood your mind! The good ones, I mean."

"You sure seem excited."

"Well, duh. We are going home, right?"

Nana didn't answer and instead grew a smile on her face. I can tell she's excited to go back to Hakone after so long. She's so bad at hiding it.

" _Hey. We better go if we want to find some good ones._ " Rise said to me.

"Oh, right. We really should."

"Huh? Go where?" Nana asked.

"We're going swimsuit shopping. Neither one of us has one for the trip."

"I see…"

…

It was at this moment that Rise and I looked at each other with a smile then turned back to Nana.

" _Hey, Nana…_ "

"No."

" _Aw! Killjoy!_ " We both whined.

* * *

"Dang it! I can't believe Nana doesn't want to wear a swimsuit! She would've looked so sexy in one!"

" _Yeah. But take it from me, Nana rarely wears anything other than sweaters, jeans, and lab coats. It's her thing. As she keeps telling me._ "

"Her "thing", huh? Well, she needs a new one."

" _ ***giggle***_ _Yeah, totally._ "

The two of us were now walking to the nearby mall (Rise showing me the way, of course) to buy our swimsuits for the Hakone trip. It's been nearly a month since I moved here and I feel like Rise is the best friend that I made here. Despite the 2-year age gap.

She's opened up to me a lot more than when we first met. Even pulling out a smile or two. Granted, they're still rare. But it's a start.

She even took my advice on what clothes to wear (oddly enough) by wearing lightly-colored and cute clothes (also oddly enough). Right now, she's wearing a white cotton shirt with a pink floral design, black Capri jeans, and a pair of really amazing grey, white, black, and red Nike shoes. Did not think she was into that brand.

Me on the other hand, I just put on the same clothes I had on yesterday. I was just too lazy to pick out new clothes.

"Wow, wow, **WOW!** So **THIS** is what a mall is like?!" I yelled in excitement as we both entered the mall.

" _You've never been to a mall before?_ "

"No, not really. Hakone doesn't have any. The closest we got is a little outdoor shopping district. Nothing there besides clothes, food, and candy."

" _Candy?_ "

"Most of the shops are candy shops. It's really popular in the country."

" _I see. Well, I'll show you around. So don't go running around like Mario with a Starman._ "

"L-Like I would do that!" I said with a faint blush.

" _But you were planning on doing it, right?_ "

…

…

"N-No comment." I said. Rise then laughed at my embarrassment look.

* * *

After a quick tour of the place, we found the swimsuit store and were currently picking out which swimsuits to buy. Some were really cute, while others were…a bit revealing.

Point is, I don't know which one to get.

"Woah. There's so many here. How would I know which one to get?" I asked myself.

"So. You need help picking out a swimsuit, huh?"

"Huh? Did you say something?"

" _No. Why?_ " Rise asked.

" _Hehhehheh._ Right here, ladies."

Pushing through the rack of swimsuits next to us was a girl with long black hair with two knots made into twintails. She had light black eyes and looked like she was the same age as me.

Though I have no idea who this girl is.

"Huh? Who are you?" I asked.

"Never mind that. I hear you need help picking out a swimsuit. Isn't that right, Ichiko-san?"

"Okay, how do you know my name?"

"Never mind that."

 _I do mind. Cause you're starting to creep me out._

"Anyway, I can help you pick one out, Ichiko-san. And even you too, Matsumoto-senpai."

" _Uh…thanks?_ " Rise said.

"Of course…for a small fee."

"A fee?" I asked.

"Not much. Just, oh I don't…¥2234.34 plus ¥670.86 shipping and handling."

($19.95 plus $5.99 shipping and handling)

"What?! Okay, that's just absurd!" I yelled.

"Well, what can I say, Ichiko-san? Money does make the world go-"

 ***SMACK***

"Ow!"

"Ow?"

" _Ow?_ " We both asked.

"Geez, Aoi. You promised you would stop with that ridiculous scam of yours." Said another girl who appeared behind the black-haired one. This one had short brown hair, blue eyes, and was also the same age as me.

And like the first girl, I don't know who she is.

"It's not "ridiculous", Hiro. I'm telling you, it's foolproof."

"The only fool is you for believing this will eventually work."

"H-Hey!" The black-haired girl got insulted.

"A-Anyway…sorry about this, Ichiko-san." The brown-haired girl said to me.

"That's alright. But…do I know you guys? Cause it seems like you know me from somewhere."

"Oh, right. Sorry. My name's Hiro Takaoka. And the girl who tried to scam you is named Aoi Isurugi."

"It wasn't a scam, Hiro. I was going to help them."

"Were you really?"

…

…

"Well, okay. I wouldn't have been the _**best**_ help…"

"You think?"

"Hold on. Hiro Takaoka…Aoi Isurugi…now I remember! You two are in my class!" I said.

"Glad you remember us, Ichiko-san." Aoi said. "Now about that payment…"

"I'm not paying you, Aoi."

" _ ***whine***_ "

"Wh-Whoa! F-First names already?!" Hiro asked.

"I don't normally use surnames where I'm from. It's just easier to use first names. Hope you don't mind, Hiro."

"O-Oh. No, I don't mind, uh…Sachiko, was it?"

"Yep. You got it."

"Okay, then. Nice to officially meet you, Sachiko."

"Same here, Hiro and Aoi."

"And it's nice to see you again, Matsumoto-senpai."

" _Nice to see you again as well, Takaoka-san._ " Rise said.

"Wow, Matsumoto-senpai. You look really cute in that outfit. Makes you stand out more, to be honest." Aoi said.

" _Th-Thanks, Isurugi-san._ " Rise said with a sweatdrop.

"Can you two hear her?" I asked.

"Yeah." Aoi said.

"Why, you can't?" Hiro asked.

"Well, yeah. I can. Not sure how, though."

"It's the same with us."

"I see."

* * *

After we looked around the store a bit (and found some swimsuits to wear), the four of us were at this area called a food court (Rise eventually explained to me what that is) where we ate some of the food options here.

While doing so, we told Hiro and Aoi why we were buying swimsuits in the first place. And they got really excited.

"Woah, really?! You're from Hakone, Sachiko?!" Aoi asked.

"Yep. Born and raised."

"I always wanted to go to Hakone. But it was always so expensive. My family could never afford it." Hiro said.

"Yeah. The resorts there are rather pricey. I'm hopeful that the others can afford it."

"Gah! You guys are lucky! Going to Hakone for the summer! I wanna go, too!" Aoi whined.

"Aoi, stop. People are staring." Hiro said.

 _You know…even though I just met these girls, having them tag along wouldn't be that bad. I mean, they're in my class. So I'm sure that Akari, Chinastu, Himawari, and Sakurako already know them._

 _The third-years…I'm not so sure._

"Hey, guys. If you want, you can come with us."

"H-Huh?! Really?!" Both girls yelled in shock.

"Y-You really don't mind?!" Hiro asked.

"No, not at all. The more people, the better right?"

" _I'm sure the other will be okay with it once we tell them._ " Rise added.

"Well…"

"Ah come on, Hiro! It's a free trip to Hakone! How can we say no to that?!" Aoi asked.

"Granted, you'll have to pay for your own room." I said.

" _ ***sigh***_ Alright. We'll come along. Thank you for inviting us, Sachiko."

"Yeah, thanks a lot, Sachiko. You're a really good friend. I feel like I owe you something now. How's about a 10% discount on my offer from earlier?"

"I'm not paying you, Aoi." I said in an annoyed tone.

"Knock it off, Aoi." Hiro said.

"Fine, fine. Come on, Hiro. Let's go find ways to make extra money for the trip."

"You better not use any more scams."

" **Shh!** _Quit calling them scams!_ "

As we watched the duo leave, I took a peek inside the bag with my new swimsuit in it. I just wanted to take another look at it.

"Geez. I still can't believe Aoi actually helped us find some good swimsuits." I said.

" _Yeah, me neither. Maybe we should've paid her after all._ "

…

…

"Nah."

" _Nah._ "

Both of us laughed as we tossed that thought out of our heads and began heading home.

 **Final Thought: Hiro and Aoi…they seem like really good friends to each other. I can definitely see it here than with Kyouko and Yui, Kyouko and Chinastu, Kyouko and Akari…**

…

 **Now that I think about it, Kyouko's just a bad friend as a whole. But I'll just keep that to myself.**

 **Anyway, thank you for reading along. I hope you come back soon. Bye now!**

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_ **So, um…I finally looked up the birthdays for these characters. Two things came out of it.**

 **First, none of them have a birthday in August. So that idea's out the window for this story.**

 **Second, I found out that Yuru Yuri had TWO spin-offs. The first is called "Reset!". Which is where Hiro and Aoi are from. The two even made cameos in the anime (though Aoi doesn't have a voice actor).**

 **The second is one where Sakurako (yes, her of all people) and her sisters are the main characters. How Sakurako got her own manga is a complete mystery to me.**

 **That's all I wanted to say. Thanks for reading. Later.**


	12. The Trip Begins

**Chapter 12 – The Trip Begins**

" _ ***giggle***_ Yes. Yes! in just mere **HOURS** , I'll be home once more! Hurry up and come over, tomorrow!"

" _Well, someone's excited._ " Rise said to me.

"Is it that obvious?"

" _Way._ "

"Well, crud."

Like I said during my moment, tomorrow way the start of the summer trip to Hakone. Rise decided to spend the night at my place. Claiming that it's closer to the station (whatever that is). I don't know how I did it, but I got everything planned out. Now I just gotta hope everything goes well.

…

I probably shouldn't have said that. But, whatever.

" _So, is Hakone really as pretty and peaceful as you say it is?_ "

"Oh, yes. trust me, you are going to love it. Aside from the multiple onsen hot springs everywhere, there's open fields, gentle rivers, and a great view of Mt. Fuji. Hiking up there is actually a normal thing for us to do."

" _Hiking Mt. Fuji…normal?_ "

"Yep. Perfectly normal."

" _The country is weird._ "

"So is the city. But I dealt with it."

" _Fair point. We should get to bed soon. We have to wake up early, don't we?_ "

"Yeah, we do. From what Yui told me, the earlier the train, the better. Though, I'm actually curious about what she meant by that."

" _You've never ridden a train before?_ "

"Nope. Tomorrow will be my first time."

" _I see…_ "

…

…

"Quit looking at me like that."

" _Like what? I don't know what you're talking about._ " Rise said with a cheeky smile. I then proceeded to lightly punch her in the side. Later ending with us two laughing with and at each other.

"Alright, alright. Good night."

" _Good night._ "

I turned off the light in my room and we both ended up falling asleep in just mere minutes.

* * *

The next day, the two of us (well, three. Yui left with us because well…she's my neighbor) were at the train station waiting for the others to arrive. While doing so, Yui and I got into a conversation.

"What?! You can't be serious!"

"Yeah. I'm serious. And I stand by that, too."

A heated one about which early 2000s video game console was the best.

"Sachiko, how can you really hate the GameCube? It's like one of the best in history."

"Wasn't it a complete and utter failure during its lifespan? I mean, really. People started liking it _**way**_ after it died. And now it's just an overrated nuisance."

"A nuisance?! Come on!"

"Sorry, Yui. That's my stand on it. I hate that overrated crap box."

" _ ***sigh***_ Look, I'll admit. I can't deny that the PlayStation 2 is the best selling console of all time. Nor can I deny that it had some great games. But to put that over the GameCube is just mad, girl."

"Mad? Hey, at least I'm not saying the original Xbox is better. That's a crime against humanity."

"Right? I don't know how _**that**_ thing became popular overseas."

 _Quick Note: The original Xbox sold really poorly in Japan. That last bit in the argument was a reference to said fact._

" _Uh…Sachiko._ "

"Yeah, Rise?"

" _What the heck are you two talking about?_ "

"Y…You don't play video games, do you?"

Rise shook her head no. That way, it would be easier for Yui to understand.

"I-I see. Sorry, Rise. I get real heated with topics like those." Yui said.

Rise just simply nodded the whole thing off.

" _Ugh. So tired._ "

We saw Kyouko stumbling towards us while dragging a suitcase on its opposite side. She then dropped everything and collapsed onto Yui's lap.

"H-Hey! Get off me!"

" _But I'm tired, Yui. Just give me a few minutes. Or an hour. Or two. Or maybe even three._ "

"We're not going to be here that long." Yui said as she pushed Kyouko off her.

" _ ***whine***_ "

"Hey, behave yourself, Toshinio Kyouko." Ayano said as she and Chitose walked up to us with bags with them.

" _I would if we didn't have to wake up so early._ "

"That's why I said for you to go to bed early." Yui said.

" _It summer. Who goes to bed early during the summer?_ "

Yui didn't answer and just sighed out of annoyance.

"Anyway…" Ayano said. "I didn't think you would come along with us, Matsumoto-senpai. It's actually been quite a while since you left Nanamori."

"What's high school like? Is it as fun as people say it is?" Chitose asked.

Rise looked at me and told me what she wanted to say to the duo. I guess her shyness is still troubling her. But I don't mind doing this for her. It's what friends do.

"She says it's fun. But also a lot of work. Way harder than anything she did in middle school." I translated.

"I see."

"Well, that's to be expected."

"What is?" Sakurako said as she and the other three first-years joined us at the train station.

"Matsumoto-senpai was just telling us what high school is like." Ayano said.

"Whoa! Matsumoto! It's been a long *** time! How's my favorite shy girl doing?!"

" _Hehheh. It's good to see you again too,_ _Ohmura-san._ " Rise was a bit uncomfortable with how close Sakurako was. But she was also smiling a bit. I guess these two got along sometimes.

"Hey." Himawari said. "Don't be cursing this early in the morning. People are still trying to sleep."

"Bah. You worry too much, Boob-chan."

" **Tch. Quit calling me that!** "

 _Oh, right. Which reminds me…_

I got up and went over to the other two girls. Pushing them aside so that no one can hear us.

" _Akari, you better keep your promise._ " I whispered. " _No cursing._ "

" _I know, I know. I actually prepared for this by shouting a bunch of curse words into a jar last night._ "

" _She actually did that. It was uncomfortable to sit through._ " Chinastu added.

" _O…Okay, then._ " This was literally the only thing I could think of to respond to such a thing. " _Just as long as you keep your promise._ " We then joined back with the rest of the group.

"So that should be everyone, right?" Yui asked.

"Actually…I invited a few more people." I said.

"Really? Like who?"

"S-Sorry we're late."

We looked over towards the station building entrance to see two girls speed-walking to us while each carrying a bag of some sorts.

These two girls were Hiro Takaoka and Aoi Isurugi.

"Huh? Hiro and Aoi? What are you two doing here?" Chinastu asked.

"Sachiko invited us. We ran into her and Matsumoto-senpai at the mall two days ago." Hiro explained.

"Really?"

"Yep." Aoi said. "And _**I**_ even helped the two picked out swimsuits. Granted, it was for free. But I was able to make some profit later that day."

"I-I see…" Chinastu said with a sweatdrop.

"Anyway… _you ready to get all crazy during this trip, Akari?_ "

" _ ***sigh***_ _I wish. But I've been told to tone it down a bit._ " Akari said in the same tone Aoi was speaking.

" _Aw. That sucks._ "

 _Wait. Does Aoi know about Akari's cursing?_

"Anyway. That just leaves…"

"Hey. Sachiko."

Behind the two girls, another person was showing up. Probably one nobody (except me and Rise) expected to see.

"Nishigaki?!" Everyone asked.

"Right? I convinced her to come too. Although, it was a process. A shocking one, I might add."

"Shocking?" Akari asked.

"Well, she's also from Hakone."

" **Really?!** " The other shouted.

"How come you never told us?" Kyouko asked.

"I shouldn't have to tell you about my personal life, Kyouko." Nana said.

"But you tell Matsumoto. Why does she get special treatment?"

"Because. In return, she gets to be my test dummy."

" _Don't say that with such a smug look._ " Rise felt insulted.

"So, if I become your test dummy, would you tell me your secrets?" Kyouko asked.

"Well…it depends on how good of a test dummy you end up being. Can you survive multiple explosions a day?"

"Offer rejected!" Yui and Ayano yelled.

" _Aw! Boo!_ " Kyouko whined.

 ***SOUND OF AN INTERCOM***

 _*Attention. Attention. Next train to Hakone now arriving. Passengers, please prepare to board.*_

"Yes! Train's here!" Sakurako yelled.

"Soon, it'll be time to go wild and get loaded!" Aoi yelled.

"Sakurako…"

"Aoi…" Himawari and Hiro facepalmed throughout that double outburst.

The train pulled up in front of us and we loaded our bags on board. Then once we each found a seat, the train left the station and made its way out the big city of Tokyo.

 _This is it! I'm finally going back home! Watch me now!_

 **Final Thought: Yes! It finally begins! My summer vacation in my hometown of Hakone! I'll tell ya! You guys are in for a treat! And of course, I'll be your one and only guide to it all! Thank you for reading along. Bye now!**

 ** _AUTHOR'S NOTE:_ So the rest of the story will take place in Hakone. This is basically a huge part of the story. And want to focus on it as much as possible. Referencing the spots I've said in previous chapters. Next Chapter may come up tomorrow. Thanks for reading. Later.**


	13. Sachiko's Home Reunion

**Chapter 13 – Sachiko's Home Reunion**

 _ ***giggle***_ _I still can't believe this is happening. I'm actually going home. I'm going back to Hakone. I can't wait to see everything again. The sights, my house, my old school…_

…

 _Oh, yeah. I'm gonna surprise the heck outta everyone._

" _ ***giggle***_ "

"Sachiko sure seems happy." I heard Himawari said.

"I don't blame her. I mean, she is going back home after being in the city for about a month." Chinastu added.

"True."

"So what to do first when we get there, Sachiko?"

…

"Sachiko…"

"Huh? Oh sorry, Hiro. I was spacing out. What were you saying?"

"She asked what are we doing first when we get to Hakone." Akari said.

"Oh, that. Well…by the time we get there, it'll be around 6:00 in the morning. So I'm not sure if you guys want to go back to sleep or not."

"No." Akari said.

"I'm good." Chinastu said.

"I'm wide awake." Himawari said.

"Me too." Hiro said.

"Do you _**really**_ think we could sleep after this?!" Sakurako and Aoi yelled in excitement.

" _So I guess that's a no._ " Rise said to me.

" _ ***giggle***_ Yeah. So I guess you guys can just check in at one of the hot springs you chose and get settled."

"Huh? What do you mean "you guys"?" Himawari asked.

"Well, I'm not staying there. I've got a super secret location I can stay at."

"You mean your house." Akari said.

"Tch! H-How did you know?!"

"Oh please, Sachiko. We all knew that you were going to ditch us at the hotel and go stay at your house. It wasn't that hard to figure out." Chinastu said.

"You thought you could be a sneaky little *****, but we figured it out!" Sakurako added.

 ***POW***

"Ow!"

"Shut up." Himawari said after hitting Sakurako in the head.

" _ ***sigh***_ Fine. You got me. But it wasn't my idea, though. Kinda got from my dad."

"I see…" The other girls said.

"But you girls got money for the hotel, right?"

"Yep." Chinastu said. "We're each going to stay in two rooms. One for the second-years. And one for the third-years. Although…"

That's when they all started looking at Rise, who then looked away with an embarrassed blush on her face.

"We're not too sure about Matsumoto-senpai." Himawari said.

"Rise…did you not…" I asked.

" _N-No. I didn't. They were too expensive for someone with my paycheck to afford._ "

"I see…"

 _Geez. She looks so sad. I wanna help her out. And I think I know how, too._

"Well, you can just stay with me."

" _R-Really? I can?_ "

"Sure. I don't mind. What are friends for, right?"

Rise looked at me with the same blushed face as she had before. But I don't think she was embarrassed like last time. I can tell because she had a smile with it.

" _Thank you, Sachiko._ " She said to me.

"You're welcome."

"You know, it still bugs me how you, Akari, and Nishigaki are the only ones that can hear Matsumoto-senpai." Chinastu said.

"It's not just us."

"Hiro and I can hear her, too." Aoi added.

"What?! How?!" Asked the three first-years that can't hear Rise.

"It's probably because we're minor characters or something."

"Minor character…what are you talking about?" I asked.

"I-It's a long story, Sachiko." Akari said.

"W-We don't want to bore you with it." Sakurako said. The others agreed with a simple nod of their heads.

"Hmm… _okay._ "

 _Now I really want to know!_

* * *

About an hour an a half later, the train reached the train stop (what we have in the country) and all of us stepped out to see the glorious view of the small town in the country that I call home.

 _I'm home…I'm actually home!_ _ **I'M FINALLY BACK HOME!**_

" _ ***deep sniff***_ Ah, how I missed this smell." I said.

"What are you smelling?" Ayano asked.

"Fresh country air. Free from the polluted stench of the big city."

" _Oh, really?_ " The other girls sounded insulted.

"What? It's true. The city stinks. Right, Nana?"

…

"Nana…"

" _Wow. I can't believe I'm actually back here. It really hasn't changed much since I left._ "

"Nana!"

"Huh? Oh sorry, Sachiko. What were you saying?"

"Never mind." I said shrugging it off.

 _I probably shouldn't bug her for a while. This is just as big of moment for her as it is for me._

"Anyway…the hotel's downtown somewhere. I'll take you guys there." I said. As I'm the personal guide for this entire trip. I mean, someone has to. Nana won't be that big of a help since she hasn't been here in 20 years.

I took the girls to their hotel and got them settled in. Then I made my leave for my own personal hotel to stay in.

AKA, my own house.

"I'm home!" I yelled as I unlocked the door and walked inside.

" _Why did you say that? There's no one here._ " Rise said to me.

"It's a habit, okay? I haven't been here in a while."

" _Fair point._ " She then said as she looked around my home. " _So this is your house? It's pretty cozy._ "

"Right? And it felt that way for…basically my entire life."

" _That's pretty much the only thing you can describe it, huh?_ "

"You know me so well, Rise." I said with a smile to my best friend.

My house is basically an average-sized two-story home. A standard living room, kitchen, two bedroom two bath kind of home. There's also a backyard that we used a lot for parties and gatherings. Running around this place again brings back so many memories. It's so good to be back.

" _So now what do we do?_ " Rise asked.

"Well…in another hour or so, my friends are going to be in school. I was going to surprise them by going over there."

" _Wait, school is still going on here?_ "

"In the country, school is all-year round."

" _And you're used to that?_ "

"I lived here, remember?"

" _Well yeah, but…n-never mind._ " Rise gave up.

" _ ***giggle***_ Don't worry, Rise. I'll teach you everything you need to know about the country. You'll love it, trust me."

" _ ***giggle***_ _Alright, Sachiko. I'll leave it to you._ " She said to me with a small smile.

* * *

Once that hour had passed, I changed into a loose white cotton shirt with orange floral prints on it with some black capri jeans and a pair of orange & white sneakers as Rise and I walked around the streets of the small tourist town to my old school. This time around, _**I**_ was the one guiding _**her**_. Though, there were a few roadblocks. A lot of people on the streets were shocked to see me back in town. And I greeted them and introduced them to Rise. It took a bit of time, but it was worth it.

We soon reached my old school, Onazuki Academy. A school nothing like Nanamori in the slightest. For one, it's still going on.

But another thing is…

" _Huh? This school has grades 1 through 9 in the same building?_ "

"Yeah. The government didn't think it was necessary to separate the elementary and middle school students. So they just put the two groups together. In my old class, I was one of only two second-years. The rest was made of first and third-years. But we did had a 5th grader."

" _A 5_ _th_ _grader?_ "

"Yeah. But when you look at her, you honestly can't tell that she is one."

" _How can you not tell?_ "

…

…

"W-Well…I'm pretty sure she's still here. You can see it for yourself."

" _Why does that worry me?_ "

I didn't answer her and went inside the school. The thought of my "5th grader" classmate went away once I walked down the hallway. We were soon standing in front of my old classroom. And as I expected, class was going on as usual.

I was about to open the door…when I just remembered something.

"Hey. Rise. Are you going to be okay?"

" _Huh? What do you mean?_ " She asked me.

"Well…I mean with your shyness and all, I thought meeting new people for you would be…you know. Scary."

…

" _W-Well…y-you aren't wrong._ " Rise said after a bit of silence. " _But…being with you has brought my confidence up a bit. For one, I can have full conversations with you and some other people. And I'm smiling a lot more than I used to. So…being here with you, about to meet your old friends…I-I think I can do that. A-As long as you help me, of course._ "

" _ ***giggle***_ Stupid. Of course, I'll help you. We're best friends, remember?"

" _ ***giggle***_ _Yeah, I know. Thank you, Sachiko._ "

We each smiled at each other before I turned back to the classroom door and knocked on it softly.

"Huh? Who can that be?" I heard the voice of my old teacher. "Come in."

My smile grew even more as I grabbed the door handle and slid it open.

" **Hey, all you people! I'm back!** "

" **Sachiko?!** "

" **Oh my God, you're back!** " One of the students yelled in joy as she ran up to hug me. Yuri Katabuki. A girl with light-red hair and light-blue & greenish eyes. Her hair was short. Containing a yellow hairband with a big pink flower on its right side. She's also the same height as me and Rise. Which is a bad thing.

You'll see soon.

" _ ***giggle***_ Hey there, Yuri. Nice to see you again, girl."

"Well, this is truly a surprise. Didn't expect to see you again here so suddenly, Ichiko-san." The teacher said to me.

"Good to see you too, Aki-sensei."

I continued to receive more welcomes and hugs from my old classmates when I felt a tug on my shirt. Which made me remember something important.

"Oh, right. _***throat clear***_ Everyone, this is Rise Matsumoto. One of the new friends I made. _She's a city girl._ "

" _Ooh!_ " The class was amazed.

" _Woah. An actual city girl. They actually exists._ " Yuri said.

" _Wh-What do you mean "I actually exist"? What does she mean by that?_ " Rise sounded insulted.

"Don't worry, Rise. It's nothing bad." I said to her.

"Huh? Wait, why did she whisper that? And how were you able to hear that?" Yuri asked.

"Um…well, you see…"

"Everyone." Aki-sensei said. "Look, Ichiko-san. It's good to see you again, but you are interrupting class. I'll allow you and your friend to stay. But don't be a distraction, alright?"

"Yes, Sensei." I said before grabbing Rise's arm and guided her to sit with me next to Yuri. Class went on after that. With very minimal distractions.

* * *

Due to my sudden surprise visit, Aki-sensei decided to let class out early. So after everyone welcomed my return once more, it was just me, Rise, and Yuri as we walked around the school. Giving Rise a quick tour before we did something else.

" _Wow. Despite you saying that they merged grades 1-9 together, the school's really small._ " Rise said.

"Yeah, it may seem like that for most outsiders. But for us, it's perfect."

" _Yeah, I can tell._ "

"Okay, seriously, girl. How is it that I can't hear a word your friend says and yet I'm standing right next to her?" Yuri asked.

"Oh, right. Well, you see…Rise is really really shy. To the point where she whispers everything she says. It's something she's trying to overcome. And I'm helping her out."

"I see. Well, nice to meet you once more, Rise Matsumoto. My name's Yuri Katabuki. A 5th grader here at Onazuki Academy."

" _Nice to meet you, Yur…wait, what? D-Did she say 5_ _th_ _grader? She's a 5_ _th_ _grader?! How?! We're the same height!_ "

"Yeah…Yuri had a _**really**_ huge growth spurt between the 4th and 5th grade. She even has breasts bigger than most third-years."

"Did you had to bring that up?" Yuri asked.

"Yes, girl. I mean, look at you. Yours are nearly the same size as mine and you're 3 years younger than me."

"Yeah, but…"

I then felt a tug on my shirt. And turned to see Rise blushing with anger. No doubt about her breast size.

 _Aw, geez. Now I've done it._ "

"S-Sorry, Rise. I-I didn't mean to insult you." I said.

"Wait, hold on. So Rise has itty…"

"Yuri, don't you dare!" I said while covering the girl's mouth.

 ***RING* *RING* *RING***

" _Hey, Sachiko. Are you coming over? We want to look around Hakone._ "

"Uh…sure, Chinastu. I'll be there in a few minutes."

" _Alright._ "

I hung up the phone and turned my attention back to the girls next to me.

" _Ooh. You brought_ _ **MORE**_ _city girls, Sachiko?_ " Yuri asked.

"Yeah. They're friends I've made at the new school I go to. They wanted to come here for summer break."

"So are they all in this "middle school" you brought up earlier?"

"Yeah. But Rise is a first-year in high school."

…

…

…

"Wow. And we're all the same height, too."

" _Please don't remind us._ " Rise and I both retorted at Yuri.

 **Final Thought: Day 1 of my return to Hakone and I've already reunited with my best friend Yuri Katabuki.**

 **A 5** **th** **grader…yeah.**

 **The school system here works** _ **way**_ **differently than it does in the city.**

 **But the one thing I'm worried about is…how will the other react when they learn that Yuri is the same height, weight, and has bigger breasts than most of them, despite being a 5** **th** **grader?**

…

 **I guess there's only one way to find out.**

 **Anyway, thank you for reading along. I hope you come back soon. Bye now!**

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_ **Like I said in the last chapter, the rest of the story will take place in Hakone. But…I gotta be honest here. Every time I write this story, mainly whenever Hakone is brought up, I can't stop thinking about how this is strangely similar to Non Non Biyori. I mean, it's not a bad thing. It's the most relaxing anime I've watched. But is story is in no way inspired off that anime. I promise. The similarities are just a coincidence.**

 **Edit: And to make it even more of a coincidence, Non Non Biyori Season 3 was just recently confirmed! So it's even crazier that I've had this in my mind for so long!**

 **Thanks for reading. Later.**


	14. The Difference With City & Country Girls

**Chapter 14 – The Difference With City & Country Girls**

The three of us walked together cheerfully as we made our way to the hotel where the others were staying. While doing so, I was telling Yuri about my experiences in the city so far.

She was confused. Like I expected her to. It took me a while to understand some of this stuff, too.

"Woah! So there's an actual Gym class at this "middle school" place?" She asked.

"Yep. With a basketball court and all." I answered.

"And they have actual anime to watch?"

"Yeah. I watched a few. They're okay at best."

 _Probably shouldn't tell Kyouko that…_

"And this " _karaoke_ " thing. Words show up on a tiny screen and you just…sing?"

"It sounds confusing, I know. But it'll make sense once you do it yourself."

"I see…"

" _You know. Despite being there for a month at this point, you sound just as confused as Yuri is right now._ " Rise said to me.

"Well, what can I say? The city is a confusing place."

" _I guess…_ "

"So, um…this whisper thing. Do you think I'll be able to hear Rise someday?" Yuri asked.

"Well…neither one of us can really explain how it actually happens. It just does."

"Huh? Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"That's…really weird."

"Yeah. It's a very random thing." Rise confirmed this with a simple nod.

" _Wow. City girls are so interesting._ " Yuri said as she was amazed at hearing all this information.

" _I really hope she doesn't say that in front of the others._ " Rise said to me.

"I'll tell her not to." I replied with a sweatdrop.

* * *

After arriving at the hotel, I texted the others that we were here. Then it was a matter of time before they all met up with me.

…

Well…almost all of them. Nana didn't come down. Here's her reason.

" _Huh? You're meeting with an old friend?_ "

 _ ***BZZZT***_

" _Yeah, I am. She was my friend in high school and I heard that she still lives here. Going to surprise her a bit._ "

" _I know how you feel. I just did the same thing with my old classmates. They were blown out of their minds._ "

 _ ***BZZZT***_

" _Ha! That's pretty good!_ "

 _ ***BZZZT***_

" _Probably won't get the same reaction from my friend, though._ "

" _Yeah, I guess. What with you two being old and all._ "

 _ ***BZZZT***_

" _ **Hey!**_ "

" _I'm kidding. Good luck with your reunion._ "

 _ ***BZZZT***_

" _Yeah, sure. Have fun with the others._ "

" _ ***thumbs up emoji***_ "

 _She sure seems to be enjoying being back so far. Hope this continues._

* * *

"Alright. That should be everyone." Yui said.

" _Woah. There's so many of them. I might just pass out from excitement._ "

"Hey. Calm down." I said to Yuri, who had gotten excited at the site of more city girls.

"Who's your friend, Sachiko?" Ayano asked.

"Oh, right. This is an old classmate of mine."

"Hiya. My name is Yuri Katabuki. Nice to meet ya, Big Group of City Girls."

" _Big Group of City Girls?_ " Everyone asked.

"Yuri…I told you **NOT** to say that." I said with a facepalm.

"Sorry, Sachiko. I got nervous."

 ***Introductions happen here. Feels unnecessary to write them all.***

"Woah. So all of you go to this "Nanamori Middle School" place?" Yuri asked.

"Yeah. It's an all-girls school, too. So it's kinda a place where everybody knows you." Akari said.

" _Cool._ "

"What's your middle school like, Yuri?" Chinastu asked.

…

…

"Uh…what's a middle school again?" Yuri asked. Completely confused.

"Huh?"

"A-About that." I jumped in. "Hakone merges grades 1-9 in the same school system. So we have students in those grades all around the school."

" _This school itself is surprisingly small despite this._ "

"Matsumoto-senpai said that the actual school building is surprisingly small for such a program." Akari translated for Rise.

"I see." Yui said.

"Must be hard going to the same school as all those little kids huh, Yuri?" Sakurako asked.

"Huh? What do you mean? I'm a kid, too."

"Well, yeah. Technically, we still are. But we're basically teenagers."

"But I really am a kid."

…

"Okay, I'm getting it."

"Me neither." Aoi agreed with Sakurako.

"Um, well…about that." I said. About to drop the biggest bombshell these girls have ever heard. "Yuri's a 5th grader."

…

…

" **WHAAAT?!** " Everyone last one of them shouted as they finally processed what I had just told them.

" **A-Are you serious?!** " Kyouko asked.

"Dead serious."

" **B-But look at her! She looks NOTHING like a 5** **th** **grader!** "

" **She's the same height as all of us!** " Ayano added.

"I had a growth spurt after finishing the 4th grade." Yuri said.

" **Well, that was a damn good growth spurt!** " Yui yelled.

"Wait. Hold on a sec…Himawari, go stand next to Yuri." Sakurako said to her.

"Huh? Why should I?"

"Just do it!"

" _ ***sigh***_ Fine."

Himawari came over to stand next to Yuri. And the two were right beside each other. The sight of it was upsetting to Sakurako.

And the other second-years. Along with Kyouko, Ayano, and Chitose.

"N-No way…" The three third-years said.

"I-It's so unreal…" Akari and Chinastu said.

" _ ***whine* THEY'RE JUST AS BIG AS HIMAWARI'S!**_ " Sakurako and Aoi shouted with jealousy and rage.

"Even I gotta admit…that stings." Hiro added.

" **W-Will you guys knock it off!** " Himawari shouted with a mild blush of embarrassment on her face.

"So…what just happened?" Yuri asked me.

"They were comparing the size of your breasts to Himawari's. You two are not that far off from each other, it seems."

"Huh." Yuri then began groping herself while having a puzzled look on her face. "Are they really that big?"

" _ ***sniff***_ _Yeah. They are._ " All the flat-chested girls (expect Hiro, for some reason) replied as they tried to hold in their tears.

"Oh, grow up." Yui and Himawari retorted.

"Yuri. Don't grope yourself in public." I said with a facepalm.

"Oops. Sorry. I tend to do that sometimes."

" _ ***whine***_ _Lucky!_ " The same girls whined.

 _Why is she lucky for that?!_

"A-Anyway…can we go and do something before this conversation gets way out of hand?" Yui asked.

"Yeah, sure. And I got a good place in mind to start off. Follow me, everyone."

Everyone then started walking with me as became their guide once more through the small country city of Hakone. While doing so, I looked over at Rise. Who had a pretty neutral look on her face. Which got me curious.

"You didn't seem to react much during the breast comparison thing with Yuri and Himawari." I said to her.

" _I did react. But not as much as the others._ "

"Huh?"

" _Long story short, I think I may have finally gotten used to the fact that I'm going to have small breasts for the rest of my life._ "

"O-Oh."

I then stopped Rise and hugged her out of sympathy.

"I'm so sorry."

" _It's okay, Sachiko. It's okay._ "

 **Final Thought: So my best friend Yuri has met with the girls from the city…**

…

 **Geez, what a train wreck that turned out to be.**

 **Hopefully, it gets better later on. As we are only here for a week. Gotta make my return home special. Not just for me, but for everyone else, too.**

 **Anyway, thank you for reading along. I hope you come back soon. Bye now!**

 **A/N: You know how I said that this story reminds me of Non Non Biyori a lot and it is IN NO WAY inspired by that? Well, just a few days after saying that, I found out that they're making Non Non Biyori Season 3. And I was pretty happy with the news. Can't wait to see it again. Later.**


	15. Relaxing in the Lake of Reeds

**Chapter 15 – Relaxing in the Lake of Reeds**

 _Hmm…you know. There's something about the last chat we had that's bugging me._

"Hey, Hiro."

"Yeah, Sachiko?"

"I'm just now realizing that you didn't really react much to the whole breast comparison thing like how the others did."

"Oh, that. Well, I tend not to worry about such things. Brings unnecessary stress."

"Wow, really? Cause based on meeting you guys, city girls tend to get offended by pointing out their small chests."

"That's just an anime stereotype that eventually became a part of reality. It mainly stings because most girls don't start getting… _anything there_ …until around their first or second year of middle school."

Hiro then went silent for a bit. Thinking of what else to say.

"Although…there are a few that are just, as they say…"unlucky" with the whole thing. Which is probably why they get upset when people bring it up."

" _Yeah. Like me."_ Rise said.

"S-Sorry, Matsumoto-senpai."

" _ ***sigh***_ _It's fine. I've accepted the fact that mine are not going to get bigger. After all, I am the smallest first-year at my school. So, I'm just going to deal with it._ "

"You're a brave soul, Rise."

"You're a brave soul, Matsumoto-senpai." We both responded in our own way of referring to Rise.

* * *

After walking through the downtown area, we ended up in a grassy area that was mostly reeds and tall patches of grass. Up ahead was a favorite spot for not only Yuri and I, but for the residents of Hakone and visitors from around the world too.

" _ ***sniff* *sniff***_ Hey, what's that smell?" Akari asked.

" _ ***sniff* *sniff***_ Smells like… _ ***sniff***_ …salt water." Himawari said.

" _Mmm! The smell of fresh salt water!_ **It never gets old!** " Yuri cheered.

"I know, right?! I missed this smell so much!" I cheered with her.

"Sachiko. Is where we going…"

"Yep!" I interrupted Ayano as we made it to our destination. "Ladies, I bid you welcome. Welcome to Ashinoko Lake!"

" _Whoa…_ " They all were amazed at the size of Hakone's crater lake.

"It's so huge!" Kyouko yelled in excitement.

"Way bigger than I ever imagined." Yui said.

"Yeah, no kidding. It's gotta be the biggest lake I've even seen." Ayano said.

" **Hell yeah! I'm gonna have so much fun!** " Sakurako shouted. " **Hey, Aoi! Race ya to the edge!** "

" **You're on, Sakurako!** " Aoi shouted.

"Wait, you two. You need to change first."

"Huh? Change?" I asked Himawari.

"Well, you said to bring our swimsuits, right?"

"Guys, I said to wear your swimsuits underneath your clothes. There's no place to change out here."

"What?! How come you're now telling us this, Sachiko?!" Chinastu asked.

"I sent you a message."

"What message?"

"The message I got on my phone." Hiro said.

" **Hiro!** "

" **The hell, Hiro?! Why didn't you tell us this before we left?!** " Aoi asked.

"I tried to. But most of you left before I could say anything. So I figured you guys knew and just left it alone."

" _Aw, man. And I really wanted to swim, too._ " Chitose whined.

"You guys can still change." I said. "Just do it behind those trees over there."

" **A-Are you insane?! We're not changing behind a bunch of trees!** " Ayano yelled with a blushed face.

"Well, it's either that or you guys walk 5 km to the nearest restroom."

(About 3 miles)

" _Son of a bi…_ "

 ***JAB***

"Ow!"

"Okay, fine. We'll do it." Chinastu said after jabbing Akari in the stomach. Preventing her from cursing.

 _Nice work, Chinastu!_

" _ ***sigh***_ As if we have other options. But you four better keep guard, got it?" Yui said.

"Don't worry. We got you." Hiro, Yuri, and I said. With Rise nodding as her way of answering.

* * *

 ***ONE CHANGING SESSION LATER…***

" _Ugh. That was so nerve-racking._ " Ayano said as the group eventually came out from behind the trees.

I say "eventually" because they were there for a good long while.

"Oh, come on, Ayano." Kyouko said to her. "It wasn't that bad. At least no one saw us."

"But it would've been bad if they did."

"True. But just be glad no one saw that sexy body of yours."

" **T-Toshinio Kyouko! Wh-What are you saying?!** " Ayano started blushing like crazy once she heard that.

"She's right, Ayano." Chitose joined in. "You've got a pretty slim body. It's really impressive."

" **Ch-Chitose! Q-Quit poking my stomach!** "

"Oh, please!" Chinastu yelled. "No offense, Ayano. But Yui-senpai **DEFINITELY** has a sexier body than you! And I'll prove it, too!" She then started poking Yui's stomach just as much as Chitose was poking Ayano's.

" **Ch-Chinastu, cut it out!** " Yui yelled as she began to blush hard.

" _ **Ooh! I wanna poke Yui's stomach, too! Move over, China-chan!**_ " Kyouko cheered as she did the same to Yui's stomach.

" **St-Stop already!** "

"I think you guys are forgetting how impressive Boob-chan is over here."

" **Q-Quit calling me that!** " Himawari yelled at Sakurako.

"Well, you are!" Sakurako then started groping Himawari. "I mean, look at these things! They're freaking huge! Right, Akari?"

" **L-Let me go, damnit!** "

"Hmm…I think she's just gaining weight." Akari said.

" **G-Gaining weight?!** "

"Although, I'm not really sure. Maybe if I firmly grasp it a little…" Akari then grabbed a huge part of Himawari's stomach and started squeezing it like crazy.

" **A-Akari! Pl-Please stop! I-It…feels weird!** "

And while all this was happening, the five of us were watching over while question what exactly was going on.

"H-Hey…Sachiko. I-Is this something city girls normally do?" Yuri asked me.

"I-I'm not sure myself, Yuri."

"No. City girls don't do this." Hiro said.

"So…is this a lesbian thing?"

" _No. Lesbians don't do this. These 8 are special._ "

""No. Lesbians don't do this. These 8 are special." is what Matsumoto-senpai said." Aoi translated for Rise.

"I-I see…"

"Wait, so…everyone here's a lesbian?" Yuri asked.

"Well, Hiro and I are straight. We just happen to be friends with a bunch of lesbians."

"But Rise is, though." I added. Rise confirmed this by giving a simple nod.

" _Woah…_ **city lesbians!** **So cool!** "

"Y-Yuri… _ **please**_ never tell them that." I said as the others and I gained a sweatdrop.

* * *

The lesbo 8 eventually stopped poking/groping each other. And we finally started enjoying the peaceful beauty that is Ashinoko Lake. The fresh salt water brushing up and dripping off your body. Cooling you off as the sun beats its brutal summer rays down upon you.

It surprisingly tires you out. So I was resting on a patch of grass next to a group of reeds relaxing a bit from the swim. With Rise sitting next to me.

" _ ***sigh***_ This is relaxing, isn't it?" I asked.

" _Yeah. It really is. You were right about Ashinoko Lake being peaceful. Might just fall asleep here._ "

"I don't blame you. Yuri and I tend to do that a lot whenever we come here with our other friends."

" _Speaking of which…you said that Yuri's a 5_ _th_ _grader, right? How did you two become friends?_ "

"Well, funny thing. I actually used to babysit her."

" _Really? Babysit?_ "

"Yeah. She was 4. I was 7. And I would watch her sometimes while our parents would and have some time to themselves every once in a while. It was really fun playing with her. And I got paid for it."

" _So they just trusted your 7-year-old self to watch a 4-year-old?_ "

"You're forgetting that this _**IS**_ the country, Rise. It's way safer than the city would ever be."

" _Yeah. That's true._ " Rise then went silent for a bit as something in the water caught her eye. " _Hey, what's that over there?_ "

"Oh, that? That's just a tour boat."

" _Why is it a…pirate ship?_ "

"That's the theme of the company that does the tours. They usually take tourists to give them memorable view of Mt. Fuji. But often times you can't see it due to the clouds constantly blocking it. I've never been on one of them. But I've heard that the entire ship is pirate-themed."

" _The entire ship, huh?_ " Rise then continued to stare at it some more.

"You wanna get on one?"

" _ ***sigh***_ _I wish. But I get seasick real easily._ "

"Oh. That sucks."

" _It does. So what are we doing after this?_ "

"Well tonight, we're going to walk through the shrine that's near here. It's said to be haunted at night. Making it even better."

" _H-Haunted?_ " I saw Rise jump up a little.

"Do you not like haunted things?"

Rise shook her head frantically in a panicked way. " _I-I don't do haunts well. Like, at all._ "

"Huh. I see."

…

…

"Well…you don't have to worry. It's not that scary. _But_ if you need comfort through it all, I'll be there for you."

" _R-Really?_ "

"Well, yeah of course. Isn't that what friends do for each other?"

…

…

" _Y-Yeah. Fr-Friends._ " Rise turned away from me while gaining a light blush on her face.

"Hey, you okay? Did I say something upsetting?"

" _N-No. I-It's fine. Thanks for helping me out, Sachiko._ "

"You're welcome, Rise." I said with a giggle.

 _ ***BZZZT* *BZZZT***_

" _Hey. What are you guys doing?_ "

" _Who is it?_ " Rise asked as I took out my phone and read the message.

"It's Nana. She's asking what we're doing." I then went back to texting.

"We're at the lake. Why, what's up?"

 _ ***BZZZT***_

" _Me and my friend are about to get lunch and she wants to meet you all. She's buying, too._ "

"She and her friend are getting lunch and the friend wants to meet us. With free food."

" _Her friend? Wow, that's interesting. Wanna go?_ "

"Well, yeah. I wanna go. Can't ignore free food."

" _So, that's the reason you're going?_ "

"W-Well…I also want to meet Nana's friend, duh."

" _But it's mostly the free food._ "

" _ ***sigh***_ Okay, fine. It's mostly the free food."

" _ ***giggle***_ _I know you so well, Sachiko._ "

"Yeah, whatever." I said as I went back to texting Nana.

"Sure, we'll come. Give us a few minutes."

 _ ***BZZZT***_

" _Alright._ "

"Hey, guys! We're leaving!" I shouted out to the others. We then put our clothes on over our swimsuits (like how most of them were supposed to earlier) and head back downtown to the next destination of our vacation in Hakone.

Or in my case, my trip back home.

 **Final Thought: A dip inside Ashinoko Lake and relaxing in the field of reeds. That just brought on so many memories of when I was younger. And did this almost every day with Yuri and a few others.**

 **Speaking of others, I didn't see the other three girls in class today. Do they even know I'm here? Well…I'm sure they'll find out soon.**

 **Hopefully.**

 **Anyway, thank you for reading along. I hope you come back soon. Bye now!**


	16. A Private Chat Between Friends

**Chapter 16 – A Private Chat Between Friends**

" _Ah._ That was refreshing. Thanks again for taking us to the lake, Sachiko. It was my number one spot to go."

"No problem, Yui. Ashinoko Lake is a favorite spot to most kids here. Though, I'm surprised it wasn't crowded. Normally, it wouldn't be just us there."

"That does sound odd. Maybe they're busy or something."

"Yeah, I guess."

Hmm…you know. This is the first private conversation I've had with Yui since that night. When she told me that she was gay and her parents basically disowned her because of it. She seems happier since that day. Was that eating up inside her all this time? And that she had no one else to explain this to?

Because if that was it, then I kinda do feel for her. Even though I can't relate to her.

"H-Hey…Sachiko. I-I meant to tell you this earlier, but…that day. Once we left the karaoke bar…something amazing happened."

"Huh? Amazing? You mean how you got your picture taken with that trophy you won?"

"W-Well…yeah. That was cool. But I'm talking about after we left. While you were getting something to eat, I actually got scouted."

…

…

"You have no idea what "being scouted" means, do you?"

"No, not a clue." I said.

"Well, it means that someone, most likely a talent agent, notices how talented you are and tries to recruit you to their company. Possibly making you famous."

"Really? That's a thing?"

"Yeah. It is. And the guy that I ran into gave me his card. And to give him a call once I thought it over. And…that's what I've been doing for the past few days."

"Wow, Yui. That sounds awesome. So, are you going to do it?"

…

"Uh…I-I don't know. I mean…the thought of being a teen idol. That's almost every girl's dream. But…"

"I think I get it now. It's every girl's dream. Just not _**your**_ dream. Am I right?"

"Yeah. That's it. I mean, I don't normally sing. I'm starting to like it, but not so much that I'd want to quit school and become an idol. I do have a dream of my own."

"And that dream is…"

Yui went silent for a bit. Slowly growing a smile as she turned to face me.

"Sachiko. I want to become… **the next Pokémon master!** "

" _Pl-Please tell me you're joking._ " I gained a concerned look and a sweatdrop at the same time as I was worried about Yui's life choices.

" _ ***giggle***_ I'm only kidding. I'm not delusional like Kyouko."

"O-Oh. I see…"

 _Thank God!_

"I actually want to be a video game creator. I love playing them so much that I want to make one of my own. Specifically, an RPG."

"Wow. That's some dream, Yui. And I really think you should do it."

"R-Really? You really think so?"

"If it's your one true dream, then I think you should do it. It's like my dad would tell me. " _Follow your own heart. Not everyone's expectations._ ". It's a motto I live by."

"Wow, Sachiko. That's…That's some really nice advice. Thank you…for this chat. Once we get back, I'll call the agency and decline their offer. It may hurt a little. But I've got a dream of my own that I want to follow."

"Ata girl. Do what makes you happy. You'll thank yourself later."

" _ ***giggle***_ Thank you, Sachiko."

"You know, Yui. You've been a lot happier as of late. As in a lot more than when I first met you. You've also been a lot more relaxed since then. I like this new side of you."

"R-R-Really? Y-You do, huh?" Yui reacted with a faint blush on her cheeks.

"Hey, Yui. You okay? Your face is red."

"O-Oh, this? Th-This is nothing. I'm fine. Really."

"Hmm…"

"Hey, you two. What's the hold-up?" Kyouko asked as she just popped out of nowhere in between us.

"D-Don't squeeze in like that!" Yui yelled.

"What? I'm just curious on what you guys were chatting about."

"Yeah. So am I." Chinastu added as she did the same thing Kyouko did earlier.

"N-Nothing. It's nothing. And it's especially none of you two's business."

"How come it's Sachiko's business, then?" Kyouko asked.

"Uh…w-well…"

"H-Hey, guys." I interrupted. "Let's not focus on this right now. We want to eat, don't we?"

"Hmm…well, I am pretty hungry." Chinastu said. "But this conversation isn't over, you two."

"We'll figure it out sooner or later." Kyouko added. The two nosy girls then walked off ahead of us. Giving us a minute to recoup our thoughts.

" _ ***sigh***_ That was close." I said.

"Sachiko…thanks again. For, um…keeping this a secret."

"No problem, Yui. That's what friends do, right?"

…

…

"Yui?"

"Y-Yeah. Th-That's what…friends do…" Yui said while looking away from me. It was kinda odd. But I decided not to question it.

As I fell like that part is none of my business.

…

…

But now…something's on my own mind.

"Hey, Yui. Let's just say…"hypothetically"…you decided to become a teen idol. How would you live your life with such a career?"

"How would I live with it?

…

Uh…well, like I said. I do enjoy singing a little now. Being one wouldn't be all that bad. Th-The outfits…they're k-kinda cute."

" _Kinda cute?_ So, you're finally being a girl, Yui Funami?" I teased.

"C-Cut it out!"

"Alright, alright. But…in all honestly. Whatever dream you decide to take, just know that I'll support you all the way, Yui."

"S-Sachiko…I-I…"

"After all. That's what friends are for, right?"

…

…

"Yui? Hello?"

"U-Uh, yeah. O-Of course. It's exactly what _…friends are for._ " Yui whispered the last part of that sentence to herself. All while blushing again while looking away from me.

Now it was starting to get weird.

 _What's up with this girl?_

 **Final Thought: So, Yui's acting weird. Much like how Rise was an hour or so ago. Was it something I said? Hope I didn't offend them. Maybe it'll all be cleared up once we meet up with Nana and her friend.**

 **Which I'm super curious about, by the way.**

 **For now, thank you for reading along. I hope you come back soon. Bye now!**

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_ **Sorry for taking so long with this update. I kinda lost track. Made a few modifications with a story I'm working on and it took a little longer than I thought it would.**

 **But…I've been thinking. If I were to do a Yuru Yuri crossover fic, what would you guys want it to crossover with? Like, say…another anime of the same nature as this one? I'm open to suggestions. Just as long as I've heard of it. You can leave it as a review. I'll be sure to respond.**

 **That's all I got to say. Thanks for reading. Later.**


	17. Nishigaki's Only Friend

**Chapter 17 – Nishigaki's Only Friend**

We finally arrived at the restaurant Nana had told me to meet her at. It was the buffet that's a few blocks away from the hotel everyone's staying at. So, at least it was convenient.

" _Woah…Sachiko, this place is amazing!_ " Kyouko cheered.

"And expensive. How in the world is Nana's friend able to afford this?"

"Well, there they are right there. Maybe we can ask." Himawari said as she pointed over to Nana and her friend sitting at one of the tables up ahead. They were in mid-conversation when we walked up to them and got their attention.

"Oh, hey. There you girls are. Figured you were off sightseeing again." Nana said.

"A few of them wanted to. But I had to convince them with food in order to get them over here." I said.

"I see…" Nana then took a look at the group behind me then got closer to my face. "Is it who I think it is?"

"Yep. On the nose."

"Um, hello?! We're right here!" Kyouko yelled.

"We know you're talking about us!" Sakurako yelled.

" _Smarter than they look._ " Nana whispered to herself. I couldn't help but to laugh at that remark.

" _ ***giggle***_ "

And apparently, so did her friend.

"Wow, Nana. So these are your students, huh? They seem pretty special."

"Yeah. You could say that."

This woman was no doubt the same height and age as Nana. She had long blonde hair and light blue eyes. And unlike Nana, you can actually tell that she had a nice body. Due to the face that she was wearing a yellow & white t-shirt, blue jean shorts, and a pair of white flip-flops.

 _Someone knows how to dress for Hakone's heat._

"So, who's your friend, Nishigaki?" Chinastu asked.

"This is Rebecca Ichioka. An old friend old mine."

"Rebecca?" We asked.

"She's part American."

"Woah! Really?!"

" _ ***giggle***_ " Nice to meet you all." Rebecca said.

"Woah! To see an actual American here is like one of my all-time dreams! There's so much I've been wanting to ask!" Chitose yelled with glee.

"Calm down, Chitose." Nana said. "You can ask Rebecca all the questions you want after we get some food. We've been here for 20 minutes waiting for you girls and we're starving."

"Alright, fine."

* * *

Once everyone had gotten their food, Chitose went hard on Rebecca with her questions about life in America. Most of them she was able to answer. Some were a bit difficult.

Others just crossed the line of cultural boundaries entirely. Both American and Japanese.

"N-No, Chitose. We don't use any kind of drug to make our breasts bigger."

"Huh?! So then, how does every American girl have big breasts?!"

"That's just a stereotype."

" _ ***whine***_ _There goes my plan to get bigger boobs._ "

"Chitose. Even if it was true, a drug that makes your breasts bigger sounds really dangerous." Ayano said.

"Anyway. How do you two know each other?" I asked.

"Well, uh…"

"We're friends from high school." Rebecca said. Interrupting Nana.

"Woah! No way!" We yelled in disbelief.

"Hey. Did you really have to tell them that?"

"Oh come on, Nana. You really need to stop hiding your personal life."

"But they're just middle schoolers. They don't need to know about my personal life."

"Actually, I'm a 5th grader." Yuri said.

"See? That proves my point…wait, what? How are you a 5th grader?"

"This is my friend Yuri Katabuki. She had a growth spurt when she finished the 4th grade." I explained.

"Woah." Both woman said.

"I know. Sad, isn't it?" Chinastu asked.

"Sad? That's impressive." Nana said.

"I didn't think Japanese girls can get breasts that big." Rebecca said.

"It's a stereotype." Hiro said. "But unlike the one in America, this one's gotten way out of control."

"Shut it, Hiro." The same girls who were affected by Himawari and Yuri's comparison earlier retorted at Hiro's remark.

Rise didn't really say anything. As she and Hiro are no longer caring about such a thing.

 _I just wish the others would do the same._

* * *

We ended up staying at the restaurant for longer than we planned. So we decided to reschedule the walk through the shrine for tomorrow. Which kinda makes it fair, since we're leaving the day after.

Right now, it was just Rise, Nana, and I star-gazing on the roof of the hotel while the others were using the hot spring. Rebecca and Yuri had gone home. As Rebecca had to work in the morning and Yuri had to do her homework for school.

"Hey. Guys. Thanks for not pushing it with my personal life with Rebecca. I really appreciate it." Nana said.

"It's fine, Nana." I said. "But…now that you've brought it up, you gotta at least tell us something about it."

"What?"

" _Come on. It doesn't have to be a big thing. Something minor is good enough._ " Rise said.

…

…

" _ ***sigh***_ Fine. I guess that's fair. Let me think for a second." Nana went silent again as she tried to think of what to tell us about her personal life.

"Well…okay. Rebecca and I…kinda sorta…had feelings for each other back then."

…

…

"Kinda sorta?"

" _Kinda sorta?_ "

It may seem odd that out of everything that Nana had just said, **THAT** was the part we were confused on. But it really made no sense to us.

"Well…we suspected that we had feelings for each other. But it never went any further than that. Mostly because I ended up dating your father sometime later."

"I see." I said.

"Plus. The '80s were a _**really**_ messed-up time period. Everyone was experimenting with sexuality, marijuana, and psychedelic charms of peace. Whatever that was."

"O-Oh, wow…"

" _O-Oh, wow…_ "

That was all we could say to that.

" _So…did you ever plan on telling her? Th-That it was possible, I mean._ "

"Hmm…I think I did. It was such a long time ago, that it's actually drawing a blank. But…if I went ahead and did tell her, it probably wouldn't last long. I started dating Jiro like a week after it came to mind."

" _I see…_ "

"Feels kinda weird that you're asking me about that, Rise. _Maybe you're finally going to confess?_ "

" _Sh-Shut up! I-It's not what you think!_ "

"Oh? So, you're not going to confess?"

" _I-I am. I-It's just…th-things changed a little. I-I'll have it figured out by tomorrow._ "

"I see."

"Well then, I'm hoping it goes well for you, Rise." I added.

…

…

" _Th-Thank you…Sachiko._ " Rise said as she turned away from me while gaining a light blush on her face.

 _Okay, this is the second time she's done that. What's with her?_

"Oh, right. That reminds me." Nana said. "I wanted to thank you Sachiko. You know…for convincing me to take this trip back home. So many memories were flowing through my mind. I remember having a pretty good childhood here."

"You're welcome, Nana."

"Makes me wonder why I left in the first place."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Nana went silent for a bit. Then turned to face the both of us.

"Hey. Sachiko. Do you regret moving to Takaoka?"

"Do I regret it? Where's this coming from?"

"Just answer it."

"Alright." I thought about it for a second. "Well…even though I do miss being in Hakone, moving to Takaoka wasn't exactly a bad thing for me. I mean…I go to a nice school with some really nice friends. And I'm learning so much about what goes on outside the country. It's…pretty interesting, to say the least."

"So…"

"So. To answer your question. No, I don't regret moving. Well, one of my main concerns about moving was Yuri. But she told me that she's been doing fine since I left. She said that she's getting back into basketball, too. I'm proud of her."

"Yuri plays basketball?"

" _Yuri plays basketball?_ " Both Rise and Nana asked.

"Yeah, of course. During nationals, it was me, her, and three other girls. Although two of them moved away and one's out of town for the summer. So really, I was only able to reunite with Yuri on this trip."

"I see."

"But other than that, this had been a nice trip back home so far. And I'm glad I got you guys to tag along. It really means a lot to me."

"Wow. Thanks a lot, Sachiko." Nana said.

" _Y-Yeah. Th-Thank you a lot, Sachiko._ " Rise said. Still blushing from before.

The rest of the night was uneventful at most. We just continued to look at the stars scattered across the heated-night skies of Hakone.

 _ ***sigh***_ _So peaceful. I'm gonna miss this place._

 **Final Thought:** _ **Zzz… Zzz…**_ **H-Huh?! Wh-What?! O-Oh. S-Sorry, everyone. I must've fallen asleep. Staring at this sky really does relax you. So much so, that I forgot what I wanted to say here. My apologies.**

 **But I do hope you'll come back soon. Bye** _ ***yawn***_ **now.**

 _ **So sleepy…**_

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_ **I've been meaning to say this for a while now. Hiro's last name Takaoka is actually the name of the district area the characters live in. It was a surprise to me and I will be using this for future stories.**

 **You know how the last chapter I said I was thinking about doing a Yuru Yuri crossover fic? Well, since saying that, I couldn't get it out of my mind. So now, I'm actually going to do it.**

 **It's going to be a crossover between Yuru Yuri, K-ON, and Lucky Star. I feel like those three are similar enough for it to work. Plus, it's been a thought in my mind for a while at this point.**

 **Right now, it's currently in production. And it won't be uploaded until this story is finished (as it does contain spoilers). But…I do have a little sneak peek for you guys to read. Give your thoughts about it as a review, if you want.**

 **Thanks for reading. Later.**

* * *

 **Crossover Story Sneak Peak (In Sachiko's POV)**

Going to the student council room from how close we were from the clubroom was a rather long trek. But we eventually got there. And there waiting for us were Kyouko, the student council members, Nana, and Rise.

The former looking dangerously excited as usual.

" **Finally! You guys are here! Sit down! Sit down! Sit down! Sit down!** "

"Okay, sheesh! Calm down, Kyouko!" Yui yelled at her.

"So, what information about the festival are we getting that Kyouko made you submit to, Ayano?" Akari asked.

"Okay, one. Shut up." Ayano grew offended by that remark. "And two… _ ***sigh***_ I'm really not supposed to tell you guys, but what they're doing this year even had me for a surprise."

" _Ooh. It's something special._ " Chitose said.

"Tell us already, Ayano! The suspense is killing me!" Sakurako yelled.

"Alright, alright." Ayano took a deep breath before continuing on. "Apparently, Nanamori is doing a Cross-Festival this year. With two other schools."

"Huh? A Cross-Festival?" We all asked in confusion.

"That's what it says."

"So, we're basically sharing our school festival with two other schools?" Himawari asked.

"What are they, anyway?" Yui asked.

"That's the surprising part."

"Huh?" We were all confused again.

Ayano took another deep breath before revealing the news that had us shocked.

…

Well…everyone but me. It only left me more confused.

"The two schools are…Sakuragaoka and Ryou."

…

…

" **W-WAIT! WHAAAAT?!** " Everyone (but me) shouted.

" **Y-You mean it's THOSE schools?!** " Chinastu asked.

"Yep. It's **THOSE** schools."

" **NO! FREAKING! WAY!** " Kyouko shouted with glee.

"Wait, I'm not getting it. What are " _ **those schools**_ " and why are they such a big deal?" I asked.

"We know a couple girls from those schools." Akari explained. "We're all good friends and we often keep in touch."

"Plus, they both had their own anime." Sakurako added.

"W-Wait what? Anime? Is this another 4th wall break?"

"See, Sachiko? You're learning." Kyouko said while patting me on the back.

Yeah, so…these girls finally told me that apparently, they're all characters from an anime called… _Yuru Yuri_ , I think it was. It ended years ago and now what they do is purely just for fun.

And since I moved here, I'm now a part of it too. So is Yuri, apparently. But unlike me, she didn't ask any questions.

 _Kinda wish I did that…_

"So, the schools just agreed to do this? Who gave the principles the idea in the first place?" Himawari asked.

"I bet it was Nishigaki and the other two teachers." Chinastu said.

"What? It wasn't me. I'm just as shocked as you girls are." Nishigaki said.

" _But you_ _ **ARE**_ _a teacher. It would make sense that you were involved in this._ " Rise said. Which I ended up repeating for the others.

"Look, I'm a scientist first. This teaching job's just a side gig."

"You say that, Nishigaki. But you've been here since Matsumoto-senpai was a first-year here. That argument is invalid now." Chitose said.

"W-W-Well, I…" Nana went silent as she held her head down in an "I give up" kind of way. " _ ***sigh***_ Fine, I get it. But I still had no part in this Cross-Festival thing. You're gonna have to ask the others later."

"Hey, uh…these other girls. What exactly are they like?" I asked.

"Oh, you're going to **LOVE** them, Sachiko." Chinastu said.

"They're really nice and fun girls." Yui added.

"Are they normal in any sort of way?"

" **Absolutely not!** " Kyouko cheered.

" _Great…_ " I said with an unenthusiastic sigh.

 _My first festival is going to be insane, isn't it?_

 ***END OF SNEAK PEAK***


	18. The Ghost of Hakone Shrine

**Chapter 18 – The Ghost of Hakone Shrine**

We didn't do much for the rest of the next day. But later that night, all of us (including Yuri and Rebecca) met up at the Hakone Shrine for a once in a lifetime night tour through the proclaimed haunted area.

…

Well…we were going to. But there were a few delays.

" **W-Woah, Woah, Woah! Y-You never said that this place was haunted!** " Chinastu yelled at me.

"Yeah. I did. Multiple times."

"You were too busy unsuccessfully flirting with Yui to notice." Akari added.

" _Watch it, Akari._ " Chinastu in an insulted and threatening tone.

"Just saying."

"So, is this place really haunted?" Himawari asked.

"Well, it's said to be." Rebecca said. "The rumors about this place seemed to be accurate. Since this was built during the Genpei War, there have been claims that the souls of fallen warriors and villagers roam around here at night. Scaring people off who they feel like is a threat to this shrine"

Chinastu started to whine in fear.

"Are they _**really**_ accurate?" Yuri asked. "Because with the many times I came here with my classmates, we could never find any of them."

" _A-A blessing in disguise…_ "

"Are you going to be a chicken about this the whole way?" Sakurako asked.

"Ch-Chicken?! I am **NOT** a chicken!"

"Sounding like a chicken to me. _***clucking noises***_ "

"Cut it out!"

"Hey, Chinastu. You plan on laying any eggs before breakfast tomorrow? Cause I could _**sure**_ use a good hearty batch of fried eggs before we leave." Aoi added on to the teasing.

" _Shut up!_ "

Both Sakurako and Aoi then proceeded to continue the chicken noises at Chinastu. Slowly aggravating her until either she cracked (pun not intended) or beat them to death for pushing it too far.

" _Grr…_ **THAT'S IT! YOU WANT ME TO PROVE THAT I'M NOT A CHICKEN?! I'LL PROVE IT TO YOU! I'LL PROVE IT TO YOU ALL! I'M GOING STRAIGHT TO THE DAMN CENTER OF THIS HAUNTED SHRINE! AND YOU ALL CAN KISS MY BUTT AS I GO!** "

Chinastu then ran off ahead of us. Completely determined to prove that she's not a chicken.

" **Chinastu! Wait!** " Yui called out. But she was too far ahead to hear. Let alone, bother to listen.

 _This is not good…_

"Would've been better if she said kiss my ***."

" **Akari!** " I yelled at her.

"Sorry, Sachiko. But I can't' hold it anymore. I've endured two days without saying a curse word and I'm about to lose my ******* mind."

"Sachiko, what is she talking about?" Yui asked.

"Welp. Now, look what you've done, Akari. Now we've gotta tell them."

"I don't care. As long as I get to say **** again."

 _This girl…_

" _ ***sigh***_ Look. Long story short, Akari enjoys cursing and making perverted jokes. It's who she wants to be. So, let's just let her. Okay?"

…

…

"Makes sense to me." Sakurako said.

"Me too." Aoi added.

"You two are unbelievable." Ayano said while shaking her head in disbelief.

"Look, we can talk about this later. Right now, it's best that we chase after Chinastu. If these rumors are true, then she just pissed off a lot of ghosts by yelling like that."

"So, we're going a ghost hunt, huh?" Kyouko asked with a smug look. She then took out her phone and raised it in the air. " **Alright, everyone! You know what to do! Who we're gonna call?!** "

"Luigi?" Yuri asked.

" _Pfft…_ _ **Hahahaha!**_ " And at that moment, Yui, Sakurako, Aoi, Akari, and even myself broke down laughing. Blown out our minds that Yuri made such a joke. I even heard Rise laugh next to me. Which made me glad that she understood it, too.

"Really, you guys?" Ayano asked.

" **It's funny!** _ **Hahahaha!**_ "

"It kinda is." Hiro said.

"Shut it, Hiro." Ayano and Kyouko retorted.

* * *

After the six of us were able to calm down from the joke, we began our trek through Hakone Shrine. Cautiously looking for Chinastu, but also enjoying the scenery it has to offer at night.

"Geez. Even a place like this hasn't changed all these years later." Nana said.

"You'll be amazed at how many things stayed the same after you left." Rebecca said. "Even our old high school's still around."

"Really? That old building? I'm surprised that thing's still standing."

"Well, it got a remodel recently. But yes, it's still alive and running."

"I see."

"Aw, geez. Where could've my little China-chan run off to?" Kyouko asked.

"Seriously, why do you keep calling her that?" Yui asked her.

"Well, she a little cutie don't ya think, Yui?"

…

"Well, I guess." Yui said after giving it some thought. "She is a girl. Girls are supposed to be cute."

"So, you think _**I'm**_ cute?"

"You're pretty average at best."

"A-Average?!"

"Don't worry, Kyouko. Ayano thinks you're cute."

" **Ch-Chitose!** " Ayano yelled at her.

 _Why are lesbian relationships so confusing?_

While that was going on, I felt a jitter on my arm. And I looked to see Rise shaking like crazy. She wasn't kidding when she said that she hates scary things. Cause she was hiding her face behind my shirt. Constantly yanking it hard.

"Hey, easy. You're gonna unhook my bra." I said.

" _S-S-Sorry. I-I just really hate this place._ "

"I know. But we really need to find Chinastu first."

" _C-C-Can't we just leave her here and have the…gh-gh-ghost deal with her?_ "

"Rise…"

 ***terrified scream***

Rise jerked my shirt so hard that I swear I heard a tear coming from it.

" _Hey, if you ruin this shirt, I swear…_ " I whispered to her.

" **What was that?!** " Hiro asked.

" **It sounded like Chinastu's voice!** " Akari said.

"Ha! I knew she was too chicken." Sakurako gloated.

"You are just un- _ **freaking**_ -believable." Himawari said with a facepalm of annoyance.

"Let's hurry and find her, girls." Nana said. "If any of you go missing or worse, I become responsible for it."

"Right." We all replied. We were all determined to find our friend safe and sound.

But when we took just a few steps forward…

 ***CLANG***

" **Gah!** "

 ***CLANG***

 ***CLANG***

 ***CLANG***

" **W-We're surrounded by haunted gates!** " Ayano yelled in fear.

" _Get out…Get out…_ "

"Wh-Who said that?!" Kyouko asked.

" _Get out…Get out…leave this place…_ _ **NEVER RETURN!**_ "

"Who are you to tell us what to do?! You can't boss us around, right Aoi?!" Sakurako yelled.

…

"Aoi?"

" ***terrified scream*** _ **I'm outta here! I don't wanna die!**_ " Turns out Aoi had already had the first crack of fleeing from this place. She was long gone before we even noticed that she ran away in total fear.

" _Leave now! Never return! Get out!_ "

" **G-Guys, I suggest we listen to the voice!** " Ayano yelled.

"B-But what about Chinastu?!" Akari asked.

" **Forget her! She could be a ghost herself, for all I care! I rather not end up like her!** "

" _End up like who, Ayano-chan?_ "

" **Tch! Oh, no!** "

Ayano turned around and we all caught a glimpse of a black-robed and hooded figure standing directly in front of us. Its face was hidden and so were its arms. You could see part of its bare feet. Painted with a single red line on top of them. And then finally, there was a worn-out piece of rope around its waist. Proving that it's been around these parts for a _**long**_ time.

" _N…No way…_ " Yui said.

" _I-It really is one._ " Nana said.

" _A-A real life…_ "

" _ ***the loudest terrified scream known to mankind* IT'S A GHOST!**_ " Sakurako was cut off by the one person people wouldn't expect.

More on that later.

" _ ***creepy giggle* *more creepy giggle* *regular fits of laughter***_ " The ghost reached for the bottom of its robe and lifted it up real fast to reveal…

" **SURPRISE! I GOT YOU ALL!** "

…

"Wait…what?"

…

" **CHINASTU?!** " We all shouted.

" **Baahahahaha! You all should've seen the looks on your faces! It was priceless! Hahahaha!** "

" **IT WAS YOU THIS WHOLE TIME?!** "Ayano yelled. Completely angry at her.

" **That wasn't funny, Chinastu!** " Chitose yelled.

"You wanna know what wasn't funny? Calling me a chicken and making those clucking noises."

" **That didn't mean you had to scare us to death, you ***!** " Sakurako yelled.

"That may be true. But it was still funny. I almost lost it when Aoi started running while crying hard tears of fear. I know I'm gonna get it from her later on. **But it was so worth it! Hahahaha!** "

 _Geez. Creepy and conniving. Chinastu is not to be messed with._

"By the way, who was it that screamed " _It's a ghost!_ " just now?" Chinastu asked.

…

…

"We're…not sure." Most of us said.

I say "most" because Nana, Akari, and I knew who it was. And she had let go of my shirt and slowly made her way towards Chinastu in a fit of rage.

"U-Uh, hey. M-Matsumoto-senpai. Wh-What are you…"

"It looks like she's really ******* pissed, Chinastu." Akari said.

"B-But it was just a joke! I-I wasn't really trying to…H-Hey, wait!"

Chinastu had reacted to Rise forming a fist with her right hand. And how she brought it up to the air.

"M-Matsumoto-senpai! W-Wait! Wait! **WAAAIIIIIII** "

 ***POW***

 _Oof! That's gotta hurt._

* * *

 ***LATER, BACK AT THE HOTEL…***

"So, is she doing okay?"

"Yeah. She's doing fine. Although, that black eye will no doubt be there for a while. I didn't think Matsumoto-senpai could get that angry. Let alone, at all."

"Yeah. It was a shock to me, too. Didn't think Rise had it in her."

"Still, though. That was a pretty impressive…"

"Hold it. I know what you're going to say. So, let's say it on 3. Ready?"

" _ ***giggle***_ Sure."

" _1…_ "

" _2…_ "

" _3…_ "

"Falcon… **PUNCH!** "

…

…

The two of us laughed together as we both realized we're acting like complete idiots.

" _ ***sigh***_ This chat was fun, Sachiko."

"Yeah. Sure was, Yui. I'm glad that I have a friend like you to talk to."

…

…

"Yui?"

"S-Sachiko…I-I need to tell you something."

"Um…okay. What is it, Yui?"

Yui went silent for a bit. She then turned to face me with her blushed cheeks and a few tears rolling down her eyes. It got me really worried. I figured that something was bothering her really badly.

"Y-Yui. A-Are you…"

"Sachiko…I-I…I love you."

…

"Wh-Wh…What?" I was shocked.

"It's true. I've fallen in love with you, Sachiko Ichiko. And I want to be with you forever."

I was blown out of my mind. Y-Yui…sh-she just…c-confessed her love for me. I-I've never had that done to me before. Especially not by another girl. I didn't know how to react.

But I did know what to say.

"Y-Yui. I-I…"

" _ ***sniff***_ _I-I know._ " Yui then began to cry. " _I know you can't accept my love for you, Sachiko. I not trying to force you to become a lesbian. But I just had to_ _ ***sniff***_ _tell you. It was eating up inside me for so long. Granted…the pain of being rejected hurts like hell. But it's a lot less painful than_ _ ***sniff***_ _keeping it inside forever._ "

"Yui…"

" _I-I know I sound pathetic right now. But…this is how I truly feel. And even though it will never happen, I just had to tell you. So that I can ease the pain that been plaguing my heart for so long._ "

 _W-Woah. Now I feel really bad._

"S-So…how long…have you been feeling this way?" I asked.

" _E-Ever since…a few days after that first talk we had alone. I've never had someone who would listen to my problems. Akari wouldn't have understood it and Kyouko's too damn selfish to even listen for five seconds._ "

 _I can see that…_

"But…after talking to you…I felt the comfort I've been wanting for so long by so many people. You've made me feel so happy, that…I-I gradually fallen for you…S-Sachiko."

" _Aw, geez._ " I whispered to myself.

I felt so **HORRIBLE** right now. Yui just confessed her love for me and explained how meeting me changed her life for the better. And yet, here I am. Basically rejected it simply because…I'm just not a lesbian.

I had no idea how to fix this. But apparently, Yui did.

"H-Hey…Sachiko."

"Y-Yeah, Yui?"

…

"C-Can I just…have one hug?"

"A hug?"

"It may not be having you as a lover. Or a kiss, even. But it's something good enough to make me happy. That and…the hope that we can still be best friends after this."

"Yui…" I sighed with a mix of grief and relief.

I then grabbed her into a hug and held her as tight as I could. Yui soon realized what I was doing. And returned the hug I was giving her.

"Idiot. Of course, we can still be best friends after this. I'm not gonna let this ruin our friendship. That would be the ultimate betrayal, would it not?"

Yui went silent for a bit before answering.

"Y-Yeah. It would be. But we're still friends. And I'm glad. Thank you, Sachiko. You really know how to make me happy."

"You're welcome, Yui."

 _ ***BZZZT***_

"Oh. I got a message." I said as I dug for my phone. I saw that it was from Rise.

" _Hey. Where are you? I need…someone to talk to._ "

"It's Rise. She wants to talk to me."

" _Oh. I see._ " Yui looked sad to see me go. I can understand. After what I just experienced with her. But I did all I was willing to do to make her feel better. So hopefully, she feels like her normal self in the morning.

"I'll see you tomorrow, alright?" I asked.

I saw Yui gain a smile as she looked at me. She then gave me one last hug before finally letting go.

"I'll see you tomorrow…Sachiko."

I gained a smile of my own as I made my way from the rooftop to the ground floor of the hotel. A single thought swarming through my mind as I did so. One that won't be going away from a while.

 _Yui. I'm so sorry._

 **Final Thought: Geez. Rejection sucks. No matter if you're the one rejecting or the one being rejected. I feel so bad for doing that to Yui. But in the end, we managed to stay friends. I just hope that I NEVER have to do that again!**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading along. I hope you come back soon. Bye now!**

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **So, I'm here to say that there are only two more chapters until this story ends. I've really liked writing this story. And I love Sachiko. Definitely my favorite OC I've made for Yuru Yuri.**

 **This story won't be the last of her. As the crossover I'm currently writing is a definite sequel to this. Unfortunately, I can't give another sneak peek this time. As it contains spoilers for this story. But it'll be ready for upload soon.**

 **Thanks for reading. Later.**


	19. Eternal Shyness

**Chapter 19 – Eternal Shyness**

I made it back to my house and saw Rise sitting on the couch. She didn't react much when I came inside. So I went over and tapped her on the shoulder.

" _Oh, hey. You're back._ "

"Yeah, I am. You feeling any better?"

" _Well…kinda. I'm still a little riled up from earlier._ "

"I can understand that."

" _By the way, I hate Chinastu now._ "

"What? Oh, come on. I get that what she did was uncalled for. But do you really have to hate her for it?"

 _Then again. Aoi nearly killed Chinastu when she found out it was a joke._

" _Hmm…I guess you're right. I'll hate her for 3 months._ "

"You're not getting it…" I said with an exasperated sweatdrop.

" _Anyway…I'm glad you're here. There's…something I need to talk about._ "

"Really? Like what?"

Rise slowly looked away from me as she lowered her head. It was really weird to me. So I sat next to her. That's when I noticed that she had blushed cheeks and a few tears rolling down her eyes.

If this was a total repeat of what happened with Yui, then I do **NOT** want to go through with it. I can't feel guilty of rejecting the love of two of my friends.

I gotta stop this. As much as it will hurt her badly.

" _S-Sachiko. I-I…_ "

"Rise, wait." I said while grabbing her shoulders. "I-I know."

" _Huh?_ "

"I know that you're going to confess your love for me."

…

…

" _ ***sniff***_ _Damnit._ " Rise said as she began to cry.

"Nonononono! Rise, please don't cry! I was just trying to…"

" _Sachiko. It's okay._ "

"Huh? I-It is?"

" _Truth is…I overheard Yui confessing to you._ "

"Y-You did?!"

" _She looked so distraught. Knowing that it could never happen with you. But the fact that she told you anyway…knowing that she would get rejected…_ "

Rise went silent for a bit.

"… _The sheer bravery she had for doing such a thing. I wanted to do it, too. So, I left without you. And prepared myself mentally to do it on my own._ "

Rise went silent again.

" _But…even with mental practice…it's still hard to accept rejection. The pain in my heart is striking me like crazy. I…I just…_ "

I finally decided to cut off Rise's depressing thoughts by giving her the same thing Yui asked of me during her confession. One that, although not the same as me being a lover or one little kiss, but it's been proving to be good enough.

That thing I gave her?

A hug. A simple hug.

And it worked, too. Because Rise was returning said simple hug. Although, she had a bigger grip on me. This brute strength of hers. First, punching Chinastu in the face and now this really tight hug. Where is this coming from?

" _R-R-Rise! I-I…can't breathe!_ " I said while patting her back.

" _O-Oops. Sorry, Sachiko._ " Rise said as she finally let me go. It took me a while to regain my breath. Had to get a sip of water, too.

"S-So…feeling better?"

" _Yeah. I am. Thank you, Sachiko._ "

"You're welcome, Rise." I said with a smile. Then a thought came to my mind. I'll admit, a rather selfish one. But it was still in there. So I had to let it out.

"You know. Feeling guilty about rejected the love of two of my friends isn't exactly how I wanted to spend my last night back in Hakone. Kinda wish we had something else to do."

Rise didn't respond for a bit. She took a quick sigh and turned to face me.

" _You know…there is one thing we could do. As a way to make it up to you._ "

"Really? Like what?"

Rise didn't answer. Instead, she rolled her eyes and gained a mixed look of happiness and fear.

I had no idea where this was going…

* * *

 ***SOMETIME LATER…***

"Y-You…You really want to do this?"

" _Yes. I must do this. I must restore the honor that Chinastu stole from me._ "

"You're not making sense."

The two of us had returned to Hakone Shrine. Rise wanted to explore the whole thing with me as a way to make it up for last time. I did remind her of the rumors. But she said she'll carry on. Claiming that her friendship with me is more important than to be scared of possible ghosts living here.

I thought the claim was really sweet. But I honestly didn't believe her. Mainly because she was currently shaking in fear as we stood in front of the entrance.

"Hey. Are you _**sure**_ you're going to be okay?" I asked.

" _S-Sure thing. N-N-No problem here. L-Let's get going._ " Rise answered. Clinging onto my shirt as we heading inside.

 _It's a good thing I took off my bra before coming here._

We walked through the shrine and eventually reached the same spot where we were pranked by Chinastu the Jerkish Ghost. Turns out the gates were just well-placed broomsticks that were probably used for combat training during the war. Once Rise realized that, she extended her hatred for Chinastu by an extra two weeks.

I didn't retaliate this time.

"The end should be close up ahead." I said.

" _Hmph. See? I told you I could do it. I'm as brave as a first-year high schooler._ "

"But you are a first-year high schooler."

" _Just proving my point even further._ "

" _ ***giggle***_ You idiot."

* * *

We walked up to the end where there was a tiny bell tied to a long colorful rope sitting above a well filled with water.

"Hey, there it is! We reached the actual shrine!" I cheered.

" _Shall we make a wish?_ " Rise asked.

The two of us did the traditional steps to making a wish at shrines and each quietly made a wish.

…

…

" _Alright. Let's go._ " Rise said as she started walking away.

"You're eager to get out of here." I teased.

" _I-I's not because I'm scared. I'm just getting tired, that's all._ "

"Yeah…it is getting late."

 ***SOUND OF A BELL***

" _ ***shriek* D-Don't ring the bell like that!**_ " Rise yelled at me.

"Me?! That wasn't me! I'm standing right next to you!"

" _Then who could it…_ "

 ***CLAPPING SOUNDS***

" _C-Cut it out, Sachiko!_ " Rise whined as she barely began to cry.

"Again! That wasn't me! It's probably someone else that's here!"

" _It's 1 in the freaking morning! Who would be here this late?!_ "

"You brought us here this late…."

" _ **NOT THE POINT!**_ "

The clapping did stop. But after a while, we started hearing a voice. A creepy girly voice that was reciting something. Something that was, to be completely honest, _**really**_ unnerving to listen.

" _Charge this candle by my will. The color one sitting on my sill. Charge with power and with love. And protective rays from up above. From sun to moon and moon to me. To this protection candle, so mote it be!_ "

"W-Who said that?! A-Anyone here?!" I yelled. Now scared out of my mind.

Then out of nowhere, a bunch of candles lit on their own from each side of us. They stretched the entire path. Even circling the well at the end.

Which is where we saw it. The one thing we never expected to see, but we were looking at it dead center.

" _N-No…freaking…way. It really is a…_ "

" _ ***the loudest terrified scream known to mankind* IT'S A GHOST! FOR REAL THIS TIME! *another loud scream***_ "

" _ ***shriek***_ " Suddenly, the ghost we were just looking at flew behind the well. Peaking from behind it to see us staring at it.

…

…

"R-Rise…I-I think you scared it." I said.

" _G-G-Good! An eye for an eye!_ " Rise yelled. Still in fear mode.

"Calm down for a sec." I then went to face the ghost again. "Uh…hello."

The ghost looked at me from behind the well. Then slowly floated out from behind it. That's when I was able to get a good look at it.

For starters, the ghost was female. She had long blonde hair with a skull hairpin and sky blue eyes. Wearing some kind of school uniform where the untucked dress shirt had no sleeves whatsoever and had a light blue tie on it. The skirt was short, simple, and black. And she wore light blue & white sneakers that looked…honestly brand-new.

And from the looks of it…she looks like the same age as me.

 _D-Did she…die that young?_

" _Wh-Who are you? Wh-What do you want?_ " The ghost girl asked me.

"Y-You can talk?"

" _Y-Yes, I can talk! N-Now who are you people?!_ "

"Gah! S-Sorry, sorry!"

" _N-No. I-I should be sorry. I-I'm really shy. O-Often stutter my sentences._ "

"I-I see."

 _Kinda like Rise's shyness._

"W-Well, we didn't mean to scare you. My friend and I were just exploring the shrine together. My name's Sachiko Ichiko and this is Rise Matsumoto."

" _I…I see._ " The ghost girl said.

"What's your name? Or do you not have one?"

" _I-I have a name. A-Although…I'm kinda hesitant to say it._ "

"Why? Is it bad?"

" _N-No. N-Not really. It's just…_ " The ghost girl went silent for a bit. Slowly gaining a sad look on her face while hanging her head in depression.

" _W-Well…m-my name is…K-Kaho Tsuyaki._ "

"Kaho Tsuyaki? Why does that name sound familiar?"

" _Kaho Tsuyaki?_ " Rise asked. Then gained a shocked look on her face as she suddenly remembered something. " _W-Wait a sec! I remember now! You're the girl that went missing during a school trip 3 years ago! You remember, right?!_ "

"Hmm…wait, I remember! That was all over the news! There were search parties and campaigns that lasted for days at a time! It was insane how much effort went into it all!"

" _I know!_ "

That's when it finally came full circle for both of us. And we gave our attention to the ghost girl.

"S-So, are you…Kaho's ghost?" I asked.

" _Y-Yes. I-Indeed I am. I got separated from my middle school class while exploring the Hakone Shrine. No one has ever found me. And so, I eventually died in this very shrine. And now my ghostly soul roams around this place. Forever alone and forever sad._ "

"W-Wow."

" _W-Wow._ " We both said.

Now, you see…neither one of us had ever thought that we would run into the ghost of the most well-known missing girl in all of Japan. In Hakone Shine, of all places. It's sad that nobody found her and she ended up dying here. The fact that she's been roaming around here for the past 3 years all by herself kinda makes it worse, too.

…

…

"Well, you know, Kaho. We found you. So, doesn't that make it somewhat better?" I asked.

" _H-Huh?_ " Kaho was confused for a second. " _…W-Well, now that I think about it…i-it is somewhat better._ " She then said with a small smile.

"See?"

" _G-Granted, I would've much preferred being found alive than as a ghost._ "

"O-Oh, yeah. That's a good point." I said with a sweatdrop.

" _So, um…Kaho. Wh-What exactly were you doing before?_ " Rise asked.

" _O-Oh, that? I-I was using the power of the full moon to bless these candles with protection. It's a way to protect the shrine from evil spirits and humans who disrupt the peace that it contains. I-I did this because there was a disturbance earlier in the night. A-And I got scared._ "

"Oh, that." I said. "We're sorry about that. That was our friend Chinastu scaring us as a prank."

" _I-I see…well, it was very rude of her to do that._ "

" _Don't worry. I hate her, too._ " Rise said.

"For 3 months and 2 weeks." I added.

" _Still counts._ "

Kaho began giggling at our chatter. It was a creepy evil-sounding type of giggle. But she is a ghost. So you kinda expect that.

Although, one thing did come to mind.

"Hey, Kaho. How are you able to hear Rise?"

" _H-Huh? H-Hear her? D-Doesn't her voice sound normal?_ "

"W-Well…"

" _I have extreme shyness inside me. It's gotten so bad, that my voice has dwindled to just silent whispers. Making it hard for people to hear me. Aside from Sachiko here and a few other people we know._ " Rise explained.

" _I-I see. W-Well, the best I can explain it is…m-maybe it's because I'm a ghost._ "

"Hmm…I guess that makes sense." I said.

" _Probably._ " Rise added.

 ***NOTIFICATION SOUND***

"Huh? A message?" I checked my phone. Then grew a shocked and panicked look on my face. " **Oh, my God! It's already 3 in the morning!** "

" _ **What?! The train back home leaves at 6:30!**_ " Rise yelled.

" **Which means we only get 2 hours of sleep!** _ ***whine***_ "

" _B-Back home?_ " Kaho asked.

"We were visiting here for the summer from Takaoka. Well…I used to live here and I brought my friends here to show them what it's like. We're supposed to wake up for the train station at 5 and we haven't slept at all!" I explained.

" _I-I see. W-Well…i-if you guys want, I-I could…g-give you both energy._ "

"Give us…energy?"

" _Give us…energy?_ " We both asked in confusion.

" _I-It's another spell I know that uses the power of the moon. I-It's called Energy Refresh and works really well._ "

Rise and I looked at each other with some worriment. We weren't really sure how this would work out. But then again, we really didn't have many options.

"Alright, Kaho."

" _We'll do it._ "

" _R-Really?_ " Kaho looked shocked when we said that. Maybe she wasn't expecting us to agree to it." _U-Um, okay. F-First, we must stand in a circle. A-And hold hands while doing so._ "

We stood in a small circle while holding each other's hands.

" _N-Next, we must calm ourselves and close our eyes._ "

We each closed our eyes calmed ourselves by taking a deep breath.

Then, with our minds at peace with ourselves, we heard Kaho say:

" _Energy go, Energy flow! Stop my confusion and make it so!_ "

I felt a great burst of energy rushing through my veins. The power of the moon filling me up like a soda pouring into a big tall glass of ice. I've never felt this refreshed in my life. It was like…

…I was being reborn.

" _A-And, it's done._ " Kaho said as she let go of our hands.

" _Woah…_ Kaho, that was amazing!" I cheered.

" _Do all ghosts have these kinds of powers?_ " Rise asked.

" _W-Well…I-I guess. I-I've never actually…m-met another ghost._ "

"I see."

" _Sachiko, we gotta go._ " Rise said to me.

"Oh, right. ***clears throat*** Welp. It was really nice to meet you, Kaho. You're a really nice ghost girl."

" _I hope that you rest in peace soon._ " Rise added.

" _W-Wait!_ " Kaho yelled. " _I-I…I want to see you two again. W-Will you come back soon?_ "

"W-Well…" I thought about this for a second. "…It's a really long trip from here. We do have school."

" _O-Oh, right._ "

" **BUT**. Tell you what. You can come visit us anytime. Our school's name is Nanamori."

" _N-Na…na…mo…ri. O-Okay. I-I think I got it. I-I'll…tr-try to visit you guys._ "

"Great! Well, see you soon, Kaho!"

" _Thank you for the help!_ " Rise said as we rushed back to my house.

" _G-Goodbye…S-Sachiko and Rise. Th-Thank you so much for finding me._ " This was the last thing Kaho said before disappearing into the night. Mostly likely to get some sleep of her own.

…

Wait. Do ghosts even sleep?

 **Final Thought: Wow, I can't believe it. I'm friends with the famous missing girl Kaho Tsuyaki, who is sadly now a ghost. And to think this started because I had two of my friends confess their love for me.**

…

 **I still feel bad about that. Basically rejecting their confessions. But they knew it wouldn't happen, I guess. And as long as they're still my friends, all should be good between us.**

…

 **But…maybe I should make it up to them somehow.**

 **Anyway. Thank you so much for reading along. I hope that you come back soon. Bye now!**

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **I know, I know. Having a new character appear right near the end of the story seems rather odd. But I've had this idea for Kaho since the last chapter. And so, I went through with it.**

 **Next chapter is the final chapter of Yuru Yuri + 1. And then next will be the crossover, which is mostly a sequel to this. It will be in Sachiko's POV once again. And Yuri, Rebecca, and Kaho will appear as well.**

 **Thanks for reading. Later.**


	20. From Home to Home

**Chapter 20 – From Home to Home**

" _ ***whine***_ _Do you really have to go, Sachiko?!_ "

"Unfortunately, Yuri. I really do. I live in the city now. So, I gotta go back."

" _ ***whine***_ "

It was 3 hours later and we were all at the train stop waiting for the train back to Takaoka. Yuri and Rebecca came along to send us off.

Nana and I specifically.

"Geez. It was nice to see you again, Nana. All these years later and we now reunite with each other. We should do this more often." Rebecca said.

"I know. It was a blast. Figuratively. I wish it was literally. The blast would've been so big and…"

"Nishigaki. Shut it." Ayano said.

"Hey. Let me have my fun. I don't criticize you when you get nose bleeds from fantasizing about Kyouko."

"Wait, what?" Kyouko asked.

" **N-Nishigaki!** " Ayano was currently blushing from embarrassment.

"Young lesbian love is weird." Rebecca said.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Nana agreed.

 _I can…somewhat agree to that._

"Train's here." Yui called out.

 _ ***sigh***_ _Here we go._ "Well, Yuri. It was nice to see you again. I just wish I could've seen the others as well."

"Well…even with them gone, I still had fun with you, Sachiko. You and me together again. It was just like old times! But I kinda wish we played at least one game of basketball together."

"Yeah. I kinda regret not doing, too. But, hey. If you ever come to the city, we can a good round or two. Alright?"

" **Yay! Thanks, Sachiko!** " Yuri cheered as she hugged me tightly.

 _ ***giggle***_ _It's just like when I used to babysit her._

"Come on, Sachiko!" Sakurako yelled out.

"Coming!" I yelled back as I made my way onto the train. Dragging my bag in the process.

Once on, we waved at the two people as the train began pulling away from the stop.

"Bye, Nana! Hope to see you again soon! And it was nice to meet you, girls!" Rebecca yelled out.

"Bye, Sachiko! Bye, City Lesbos!" Yuri cheered.

" **QUIT CALLING US THAT!** " Literally, every lesbian girl yelled at her. Completely offended by what Yuri had called them.

 _Something's never change…_

* * *

" _ ***whine***_ _It's still visible! Why did Matsumoto-senpai have to punch me so hard?!_ " Chinastu whined as she kept looking at her black eye through a mirror she had with her.

"Well, to be fair, Chinastu. You kinda deserved it." Himawari said.

"What?! Seriously?! It was just a joke! I was upset because Sakurako and Aoi kept making chicken noises at me!"

"Geez, I get it. I'm sorry. I went a bit too far, okay?" Sakurako said.

"Thank you. Now can you please get Aoi to talk to me? I can't take the silence anymore."

I can explain. Much like Rise, Aoi started hating Chinastu as well. The only difference is that Aoi's hatred doesn't really have a time limit. I think that she absolutely wants nothing to do with Chinastu. Due to the fact that she's been ignoring her all last night and even now. She and Hiro went to go sit somewhere else. Just so she wouldn't be near Chinastu.

"I don't know, Chinastu. I think Aoi really hates you now." Akari said.

"Yeah, she does. As in "I don't want to be friends with that pink-haired little ***** anymore!"." Sakurako added. "And before you hit me, Himawari! Those were her words, not mine!"

 _So, Aoi curses too. Great._

"Aw, man. I messed up big." Chinastu said as she slumped in her seat.

"Hey, Sachiko." Nana said as she and Rise walked up to our area.

"Hey, guys. What's up?"

"Rise was just telling me how you went back to the shrine last night. What was that all about?"

"Oh, that." _Wonder if I should tell them..._

…

 _Aw, why not? It'll be fun!_

"Yeah, it's true. Rise and I did go back to the shrine last night. And when we got to the end, we met and became friends with someone."

"Really? With who?" Akari asked.

"Eh. Just some ghost girl roaming around."

" **Wh-What?!** " The first-years yelled.

" **A-A ghost girl?!** " The second-years (who were sitting behind us) yelled as well.

"What nonsense are you two talking about?" Nana asked.

" _It's true._ " Rise said.

"No way."

"Hold on, Nishigaki-sensei. Let's hear them out." Hiro said as she and Aoi came over. "This could be interesting right, Aoi?"

"Yeah, I guess. Just as long as I **DON'T** get scared again." Aoi said while refusing to look at Chinastu.

 _Yep. Her hatred for her is final._

"Well, basically…does the name Kaho Tsuyaki ring any bells?" I asked everyone.

" **W-Wait, What?! K-Kaho Tsuyaki?!** " Surprisingly enough, this was yelled out by Chitose.

"You know who that is, Chitose?" Ayano asked her.

" **Don't any of you remember?! That's the girl who went missing 3 years ago! She was never found and people just assumed she was dead!** "

"Oh, yeah! I remember!" Kyouko said. "That was big news all over Japan! There wasn't a single day that they didn't cover that story!"

"Woah! So, that means…" Sakurako, along with the others, went silent for a second. Putting all the information together in their head.

"So, she did die, huh?" Yui asked.

"Yeah. She did." I said. "And her ghost was roaming around the shrine for the past three years. Hoping someone would find her."

"I see."

Then we all went silent as we closed our eyes and lowered our heads in a short but sweet prayer.

 _Rest in peace, Kaho. Rest in peace._

* * *

"I'm home…"

…

" _ ***sigh***_ Not as satisfying as saying it in Hakone."

By the time we reached Takaoka, it was around 8:30. Still pretty early. So I decided to just change my clothes and head to bed. Since I haven't really slept for…nearly a day at this point.

I had just gotten out of the shower and was getting a quick snack before heading to bed when…

 ***KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK***

" _Ugh._ Really? Right when I was going to bed?"

I walked up to the door and didn't even bother asking who it was. I just wanted to get it over with so that I could sleep.

Probably shouldn't have done that.

"Huh? Yui? And Rise?"

"Hey, Sachiko."

" _Hey, Sachiko._ "

"What are you guys doing here? Kind of a bad time for a visit. I'm about to go to sleep."

" _W-We know._ "

"W-We were just wondering if…if we could…y'know. Stay here with you." Yui said.

"Stay here? But I just said…" I then stopped for a second to think about who I'm talking to and what had happened recently.

…

…

"W-Well…I-I guess it's fine."

" _ ***giggle***_ Thank you, Sachiko." Yui said with a smile. Rise didn't say anything, but she was smiling as well.

I let them inside and told them they could do whatever while I slept. I then immediately went to bed after finishing the snack I had gotten.

A few minutes into my sleep, I felt a grip around my waist. I opened my eyes and found both girls cuddling next to me. One on each side.

I wanted to tell them to get off. But in my mind…it didn't feel right to do so. Not after what happened yesterday.

So, basically. I decided to just suck it up and go back to sleep. Letting these two cuddle me as they slept with me. As a way to ease their lesbian feelings for me.

…

 _Although, I gotta admit. This does feel kinda nice._

 **Final Thought: So, I'm back in the city. I really have to say it. after being back in Hakone during that time, being back here really did put me in a sad mood. Sometimes I wish Mom and Dad trusted me to live by myself at the house.**

 **But…then again. If that did happen, I wouldn't have met everyone here in this city. They're really nice and fun to be around. Even when I was a bit skeptical about their ways of logic.**

 **I learned some pretty deep secrets, too. Nana dating my dad, Akari hiding her true personality, Yui and Rise being in love with me.**

 **That last one I'm still trying to get used to.**

 **But…all and all. I think I'm going to enjoy living in the city. I mean, I'll always be a country girl by heart. But living in the city isn't really all that bad.**

 **I can just hope it stays that way…**

 **Anyway. Thank you all for reading my story. It was fun telling you about myself. I hope that we can all meet again soon. See ya next time, y'all!** _ **Yeehaw!**_

…

 **I know that's still the wrong country style. I just really love saying it. it's a part of me, y'know?**

 **But this time for real. See you next time!**

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **The crossover should be ready for upload by Monday. 3 chapters are already done and I want to work on it a little more before releasing it. Like minor stuff and such.**

 **Thanks for reading. Later.**


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